On Tuesday, 13 September, the first Central Asian Clean Energy Forum (CACEF) kicked off in Almaty.
The USAID-organized international event on the theme “Energy Transition and Innovation” attracted almost 300 representatives from the Central Asian region and the world to discuss key challenges and opportunities in the energy sector.
Vice Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Zhandos Nurmaganbetov welcomed the participants on behalf of the Ministry of Energy.
The forum is also attended by Deputy Minister of Energy of the Kyrgyzstan Tilek Aitaliyev, Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Sorbon Kholmukhammadzoda, Deputy Chairman of the Antimonopoly Committee of Uzbekistan Bekzod Ummatov, as well as Chief Engineer of the Turkmenistan State Electric Power Corporation “Turkmenenergo” Erkin Gurbanov.
The politicians, heads of public utilities, leading technology companies and international investors gathered to discuss energy strategies, new technologies of “clean” energy and investment opportunities as a response to major shifts in both the regional and global energy sector during the three-day forum.
In his opening remarks, the Regional Mission Director of the USAID mission in Central Asia, Lawrence Hardy noted, “The United States and Central Asian governments share an important and common vision: to improve the economic prosperity and well-being of all Central Asian people…We are now at a critical juncture in the reform and transition of the energy sector in the region, driven by energy security and global energy market developments as well as the imperative to address global climate issues and the development of clean energy sources.”
Within the framework of the conference, more than 50 speakers from Central Asia, the USA, India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Austria and France presented the main initiatives to assist Central Asian countries in fulfilling their climate commitments.
They discussed the role of innovation, technology, and finance in facilitating the energy transition, as well as the opportunities and challenges of market-based regional cooperation and electricity trade, which have the most serious implications for the energy system’s future trajectory.
On the sidelines of the Forum, USAID launched the American Innovation Center for Central Asia, a virtual platform for promoting the use of world best practices and modern technologies for the development and integration of renewable energy sources.
The Central Asian Clean Energy Forum is organized by the USAID Central Asia Energy Project, a flagship five-year project worth US $40 million, which is being implemented in three main areas: the revitalization of the energy sector, investments in clean energy and cross-border trade, launched in 2020. ///nCa, 14 September 2022