Baku, Azerbaijan, February 28
By Fakhri Vakilov - Trend:
Uzbek Ministry of Energy and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a memorandum with the purpose of cooperation to support the domestic energy sector, Trend reports via Uzbek media.
The document was signed by Uzbekistan’s Energy Minister Alisher Sultanov and USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Javier Piedra.
The partnership of the parties, according to the memorandum, is aimed at implementing projects to improve energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy and Uzbekistan’s participation in the Central Asian energy market.
In recent years, Uzbekistan has been actively involved in the development of the regional electricity market in Central Asia. The country is successfully importing electricity from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, as well as exporting electricity to Afghanistan. A project aimed at ensuring the parallel operation of the power systems of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan is under completion.
Javier Piedra noted that the work under the CAREM (Central Asian Regional Electricity Market) is designed to ensure access to a reliable and affordable source of electricity for Central Asian countries, and in particular Uzbekistan.
"Within its framework, USAID also plans to introduce the necessary measures and carry out activities that will attract investment in your country, and in this joint work we will focus on clean energy, job creation, and the sustainable development of the energy system for Uzbek people. This will result to the efficient distribution of energy and to the solution of environmental issues, to which we also pay special attention," Piedra said.
The signed Memorandum will be the beginning of close cooperation in the implementation of CAREM project, aimed at supporting five countries of the region in creating a new, economically viable, integrated electricity market.
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