There are already countries that are leaders in the transition to a “green economy.” These include Germany, Japan, Singapore, and the USA. Among our closest neighbors is Kazakhstan. The ideas of sustainable development and “green economy” fit well into the project model of Kyrgyzstan’s development. Many officials and relevant specialists are firmly convinced of this.
The organizers of the next meeting of the Bishkek Economic Club, which took place on December 3, 2014, with the participation of economists, scholars, business representatives, government bodies, and international organizations, as well as teachers, students, and alumni of universities, attempted to delve into a “heated” discussion on whether “green alternative energy” could save Kyrgyzstan from an energy crisis. Among the participants were also coordinators of the “Energy Saving for a Stable Future” project of the SPARE “Clean Energy” program. The SPARE program aims to develop renewable energy sources but is also open to active knowledge exchange, experiences, opinions, and comments in the field of energy policy and science. According to Natalia Bogatova, project manager, issues regarding the development of domestic regional energy, its alternative forms, and improving the reliability and quality of energy supply are often discussed today. Important topics within this context include the rational use of energy resources and energy saving. All this is discussed in order to make domestic energy more efficient, less costly, more modern, and ultimately, for our people to pay less for heat and electricity. According to Marat Dzhaanbayev, entrepreneur, general director of TAZA BIOSYSTEMS, and member of the Bishkek Business Club, alternative energy (46% biomass + 41% wind energy + 9% thermal energy + 4% solar and tidal) accounts for 3% of the total global energy reserves. The other sources comprise 67% thermal energy, 16% hydropower, and 14% nuclear energy. “The so-called ‘brown economy’ is very efficient in the short term, but it depletes natural resources and pollutes the environment. The ‘green economy’ is innovative and profitable in the long term with minimal negative impact on ecology and habitat,” says Marat Dzhaanbayev. “Moreover, the growth rate of ‘green energy’ globally increases by 18-20% each year, and by 2030 it will reach 30%. At the same time, climatologists predict a sharp reduction in water resources by 2035. This makes thoughtful people wonder—do we need large hydropower plants? Or should we already redirect the domestic energy sector towards renewable energy sources?” In this matter, Kazakhstan is a trendsetter. They clearly understood that $1 invested in renewable energy yields $2 over time! President Nazarbayev has set a clear course towards renewable energy, even though the country produces 900 billion kWh of electricity a year. Kazakhstan won the right to host EXPO-2017! Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan still lacks a single state study on the potential of renewable energy sources! Indeed, our neighbors have moved from words to action. This is noticeable as soon as you enter Kyrgyzstan from the “Ak-Jol” checkpoint: wind turbines stand on Kordai. According to UNDP representative Mira Jangaracheva, the energy sector of Kyrgyzstan “has not built anything in 24 years, except for corruption schemes!” In her opinion, Kyrgyz citizens need to change their mindset and stop depending solely on hydropower. Kyrgyzstan today is a hostage to the “Theory of Dependency on Past Paths”: by inertia, it remains dependent on the Toktogul reservoir and the Soviet energy system, combined with a weak scientific and expert potential. According to Kaliya Moldogazieva, president of the “Tree of Life” Center, national priorities, especially concerning renewable energy, have long been discussed, but when will they be implemented? “Our government agencies declared a Strategy for Sustainable Development, but it turns out that the Concept of Green Economy is just a big pump! Even today, there is not a single representative of government agencies at the meeting. And this is an indicator of the interest of government bodies in the implementation of renewable energy!” said the expert. In Kyrgyzstan, the heating season lasts 145 days a year. Kyrgyzstan desperately needs base electricity, which, unfortunately, has become thermal. But in a settlement of up to 10,000 residents, it is hardly reasonable to build large hydropower plants. There is no return on investment—the funds invested will not pay off. Therefore, entrepreneur and BDC member Bakai Junushev suggests looking to the experience of neighbors. “Nothing prevents us from learning from others. And we need logistics for building energy facilities.” Representatives of the National Statistics Committee noted that the Committee has long expressed interest in accounting for natural capital. But, as they say, “the cart is still there.” Expert Zulfia Marat pointed out the lack of investors in the renewable energy sector. “Renewable energy is expensive and takes a long time to recover costs. We need to search for investors. But today, investors are reluctant to come to us. For example, the Eurasian Bank provided $30 million to Kazakhstan for the construction of wind farms, whereas the EBRD does not offer loans for building renewable energy facilities in Kyrgyzstan. Also, no one has calculated the ecological risks of the future construction of the Kara-Kechinskaya hydropower plant, which is being discussed at various levels today.” Zulfia Marat was quite categorical: with such a governmental approach, renewable energy sources will not save Kyrgyzstan from the energy crisis in the next 10-15 years. Experts point out that the development of renewable energy in Kyrgyzstan is hampered by the lack of a law on purchasing renewable energy. In Kazakhstan, such a law was adopted two years ago! An investor will only come when there is a secured tariff for 8 years. According to entrepreneur Maxat Sabirov, the development of renewable energy is also stalled by land issues. All land is sold off, although real cases exist. He was supported by the director of the Kalinin Hydropower Plant, Eleonora Kazakova: “All our rivers are of the diversion type, and the channels are 2 to 4 km long. And a war begins among landowners! Significant funds from the State are needed to buy land.” “There has also long been talk of the need to create a renewable energy atlas, a renewable energy map, and to calculate the balance of renewable energy,” says Natalia Bogatova. Meeting participants acknowledged that promoting renewable energy in the country is a conscious necessity, especially given that we are in a situation of a declining market and enormous debts in the “brown sector.” Moreover, as Marat Dzhaanbayev stated, Kyrgyzstan has ideal natural conditions for developing renewable energy, even more advantageous compared to more advanced Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Professor Dikambaev from the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic sadly stated: the reality is such that our government prefers to spend $3 million on the “World Nomad Games,” while the issue of water flows at Issyk-Kul remains unresolved. So far, all talks about the necessity of developing renewable energy in our country boil down to idealism!” The message of the Economic Club is that for the development of renewable energy, there needs to be vision and political will at the state level! Text: Irina Bayramukova
