Community of Practice

The geographical and climatic features of the Central Asian region, and the uneven distribution and consumption of its natural resources determine the dependence of the economic potential of each state, in particular, on the efficient use of water and energy resources. However, Central Asia has an ideal set of complementary regional energy sources and generation structures that will help realize the benefits of regional energy cooperation. Strengthening the integration of the region's economies through increased energy trade between the countries of Central Asia and neighboring regions can help the region restore and maintain economic growth and regional cooperation.

Against this background, the Power Central Asia (PCA) Activity is helping countries in Central Asia to create a competitive and sustainable Regional Electricity Market. Once operational, the market can help to utilize the regional generation capacity more efficiently by facilitating upstream countries to export low-cost surplus hydroelectricity to the region and when hydrology is low, be able to purchase electricity from fuel-based generation located in downstream countries.

In this regard, the next lecture will focus on:

• the inextricable link between water and energy in Central Asia
• how the wholesale Market can become an effective mechanism to help resolve the ongoing water disputes and enhance the security of power supply across the entire region, thus spurring economic growth.

The fifteenth lecture will be organized as an interactive session, and we are pleased to introduce our distinguished speaker:

• Mr. Pedro Robiou, Tetra Tech Senior Power Sector Advisor, USAID Power Central Asia Activity.