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Energy

Chinese Company Plans to Produce Solar Panels in Tajikistan

A Chinese company plans to set up an enterprise to produce solar panels in the south of Tajikistan. This was announced during a meeting between the head of the country's Khatlon region, Davlatali Said, and Wang Hao, the general director of China's Datang Corporation in Central Asia. Wang Hao commented: "We intend to establish an industrial enterprise in the Khatlon region to produce solar panels. Our corporation has been on the Fortune Global 500 list for 14 consecutive years, which shows the result of our good work." Mr Said supported the proposal, noting that all issues would be resolved after visiting free economic zones and other regions in the country.

Energy

World Bank to Provide Additional Support for Kambarata-1 Hydropower Project in Kyrgyzstan

The World Bank announced on July 11 that its Board of Executive Directors has approved $13.6 million in additional financing for the Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant (HPP) Project in Kyrgyzstan. This additional funding will supplement the ongoing $5 million Technical Assistance Fund. The World Bank is aiming to support the government of the Kyrgyz Republic in preparing the Kambarata-1 HPP project in an environmentally, technically, financially, and commercially sustainable manner. Hugh Riddell, World Bank’s Country Manager for the Kyrgyz Republic, commented: “The World Bank is assisting the Kyrgyz Republic in developing its vast clean energy potential, which would be key to realizing the country’s and region’s bold initiatives on clean energy transition and enhanced regional cooperation on energy and water. World Bank support will help the government of the Kyrgyz Republic to comprehensively prepare the Kambarata-1 HPP Project in a sustainable and bankable way.” The ongoing Technical Assistance for the Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant Project has made significant progress since its approval in the fall of 2023. The project feasibility update has commenced, and environmental and social reports are being prepared. In addition, a Donor Coordination Committee was established during the International Energy Investment Forum held in Vienna in June 2024. This additional financing is needed to ensure comprehensive and in-depth implementation of several critical activities, including establishing panels of experts on dam safety, environmental, and social concerns. The funding will also help in designing a benefit-sharing plan, structuring the project’s financing plan and commercial framework, and establishing a company to run the dam upon its completion. The additional financing is to be provided on highly concessional terms and comprises $11 million of credit at zero percent interest, with repayments eased over 50 years and a 10-year grace period. In addition to this credit, there is a $2.6 million grant from the Central Asia Water and Energy Program (CAWEP), which requires no repayment. The CAWEP is a multi-donor partnership between the World Bank, the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, which is aimed at strengthening regional cooperation on water and energy security in Central Asia, which is facing a climate emergency. The Donor Coordination Committee for the construction of Kambarata-1 HPP was established at the Kyrgyz Republic International Energy Investment Forum, which was held in Vienna on June 10. The Committee comprises major international financial institutions and development partners, including the World Bank, the OPEC Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Speaking at the Vienna forum, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Japarov said that the Kambarata-1 HPP project has broad economic, environmental, and social benefits and prospects for both Kyrgyzstan and the rest of Central Asia. The project will provide Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia with clean energy at the lowest possible cost. The Kambarata-1 HPP will be situated in the upper reaches of the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan. Its installed capacity will be 1,860 megawatts, and its average annual...

Energy

Uzbekistan Creates Law to Address Excessive Energy Consumption

The law “On saving energy, its rational use and increasing energy efficiency" was approved at the plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis held in Uzbekistan on July 10. The law defines the tasks and rules for ensuring energy security, saving energy, increasing efficiency, and promoting rational use of resources, such as electric and thermal energy, fuel, and non-traditional energy resources in economic and social sectors. The law also establishes the responsibility for excessive energy resource consumption in Uzbekistan. Energy-saving directions and improvements in energy efficiency apply to the fields of construction and transport, buildings and structures, heat supply and utility companies, agriculture, and water management. According to the senators, the adoption of this law will help further optimize the costs of energy resources and create a legal basis for systematic monitoring of energy consumption efficiency.

Energy Industrial cooperation International investment International Cooperation

Expansion of Japanese Investment in Uzbekistan

On July 9, Uzbekistan president Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting in Tashkent with a Japanese delegation including Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and a representative of the Sojitz Corporation. Agreements were reached on the adoption of a three-year cooperation program with JBIC, as well as a roadmap with Sojitz Corporation for the implementation of potential projects in high-tech sectors of Uzbekistan’s economy. The Uzbek leader noted JBIC’s significant role in the implementation of investment projects in the country which today, includes a portfolio of joint initiatives worth over $3.7 billion in petrochemical and textile industries, energy, and infrastructure modernization. The president also expressed his deep appreciation of Sojitz’s implementation of projects in the country’s oil and gas sector. The Japanese company confirmed its intention to expand business activities in Uzbekistan, including, based on an agreement signed in 2022, the Syrdarya II IPP project, destined to become one of the largest power generation facilities in Uzbekistan. The Sojitz Corporation also announced its opening of a liaison office in Tashkent through which it aims to strengthen existing business as well as develop new business while striving to address regional needs across Central Asia.

Nuclear safety Nuclear Energy Investments Energy Russia Security Economy Strategy Industry

Nuclear Race: Will Central Asia Build a Nuclear Power Plant?

The answer to the question posed in the title remains uncertain. While Uzbekistan has plans to construct a nuclear power plant and Kazakhstan is set to hold a referendum this fall to gauge public opinion on building one, progress is sluggish. Tashkent has postponed the start of construction, and the issue sparks heated debate in Kazakhstan. The First Nuclear Power Plant in Central Asia Historically, Central Asia did host a nuclear facility. Located on the shore of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan, this was not a conventional nuclear power plant but a fast neutron reactor known as BN-350. The reactor was the core of the Mangistau Nuclear Power Plant, designed to transform the Mangyshlak Peninsula by providing energy to the city of Aktau (formerly Shevchenko) and powering large-scale desalination plants that supplied drinking water to the arid region. [caption id="attachment_20031" align="aligncenter" width="366"] BN-350[/caption] Operational from 1973 until its shutdown in 1999, the BN-350 reactor was decommissioned due to the allocation of U.S. funds for new desalination and heating equipment and the disposal of its remaining fuel. The extensive maintenance and decommissioning work on the BN-350 have given Kazakhstani nuclear physicists significant experience with such complex and hazardous technology. However, younger generations in Kazakhstan are largely unaware of the BN-350 reactor’s existence. Their knowledge of nuclear physics is often limited to the harrowing stories passed down about nuclear warhead tests at the Semipalatinsk test site and their devastating effects. Fear and Nuclear Power: Kazakhstan's Dilemma The societal fear surrounding nuclear energy in Kazakhstan is deeply intertwined with political concerns. For a long time, the leadership in Kazakhstan has hesitated to move beyond merely discussing the need for a nuclear power plant (NPP) to actually initiating the project. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recently announced that a referendum would take place in the fall of 2024. However, Ministry of Energy's officials avoided mentioning the word "referendum" until the last moment, previously asserting it was unnecessary. Public hearings were held last year in the village of Ulken, Zhambyl district, Almaty region, a proposed site for the nuclear plant. The Ministry of Energy’s press release stated that the local populace supported developing nuclear power, highlighting its significance for regional socio-economic growth. However, media reports revealed that the hearings were contentious, with opposing viewpoints almost disrupting the speech of Nurlan Ertas, the head (akim) of the Zhambyl district. Activists even displayed banners and posters against the plant's construction. Certain groups have exploited the population's fear of another disaster like Chernobyl. Additionally, the government has struggled to convince the public that nuclear technologies are becoming safer. In contrast, Europe now includes nuclear power plants in its list of green energy sources, similar to other renewable energy sources (RES). In Kazakhstan, renewable energy accounts for only 5% of the total energy produced. The introduction of NPPs could significantly enhance the country’s position in reducing carbon emissions. The government faces a growing electricity shortage that can be addressed either harmfully or fearfully. The harmful options are coal-fired thermal power plants...

Energy China Solar Energy

Kyrgyzstan to Construct Solar Plant with Chinese Partners

The Kyrgyz government's press service is reporting that Akylbek Zhaparov, the country's prime minister, met with the vice-chairman of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), Lu Tezhong, and the president of Transformer Industrial Group Company Limited (TBEA), Zhang Xin, during his working trip to Urumqi, the capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. At the meeting, Zhaparov and Tezhong discussed issues in the energy sphere, particularly the construction of solar power plants, and the prospects for projects in other sectors of the economy. As a result of the meeting, Fortis KG LLP, Kyrgyzstan's national electricity network, and the cabinet of ministers' Green Energy Fund signed an investment project to construct a 400-megawatt solar power plant at the Kara-Talaa site in the Issyk-Kul region. Zhaparov and Zhang Xin discussed the modernization of the Bishkek CHPP, the construction of the Datka-Kemin high-voltage transmission line and substation, and projects to improve the power grids of the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan. Zhaparov emphasized the importance of the projects implemented by TBEA for the country, and invited the company to participate in developing renewable energy projects in Kyrgyzstan. One of the areas of cooperation is the introduction of technologies for charging electric vehicles and installing relevant services and devices.