Regional Workshop on Renewable Energy in Central Asia
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) initiated a regional consultative process with the countries of Central Asia in 2016 as part of efforts to step up engagement with the region.
At the first round of consultations, held in October in Baku, Azerbaijan, participants discussed challenges and opportunities and identified priority areas for action to develop the region’s renewable energy resources. Following the Baku meeting, IRENA conducted a regional gap analysis study, analysing the main obstacles hindering accelerated deployment, as well as mapping out current and planned programmes by development partners to support the uptake of renewables.
A second round of consultations, the Regional Workshop on Renewable Energy in Central Asia, took place on 26 and 27 April 2017 at IRENA Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Participants discussed the findings of the regional gap analysis study, provided feedback on each country’s needs and priorities in the development of the renewable energy sector, and exchanged views on the key areas of support required for the accelerated deployment of renewables in the region.
View the Meeting Agenda and the Participants List.
The Summary Report of the Regional Workshop on Renewable Energy in Central Asia.
Presentation materials listed below.
Session I: Status and Priorities for Renewable Energy Development
| Name of the presentation | Name of presenter(s) |
| Key outcomes of the Gap Analysis: purpose, methodology, and the drivers & challenges for the development of renewable energy in the region |
Gurbuz Gonul, Senior Programme Officer – Regions, IRENA |
| Country presentation - Azerbaijan | Nazir Ramazanov, Advisor to Chairman of the State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources |
| Country presentation - Kazakhstan | Raigul Bulekbayeva, Chief Expert of the Renewable Energy Department Ministry of Energy |
| Country presentation - Kyrgyzstan | Kybanych Bekov, Head of the Strategic Planning from the National Energy Holding |
| Country presentation - Tajikistan | Abdunabi Sharipov, Leading Specialist of Economics & Forecast Department, Ministry of Energy and Water Resources |
Presentation: Review Progress of Renewable Energy Targets: Achieving SDG7
| Name of the presentation | Name of presenter(s) |
| Tracking Progress of Renewable Energy Targets in Central Asia: Achieving SDG7 |
Sergey Tulinov, Economic Affairs Officer, UNESCAP |
Session II: Renewable Energy Target Setting and Support Schemes
| Name of the presentation | Name of presenter(s) |
| Renewable Energy Target Setting and Support Schemes |
Diala Hawila, Associate Programme Officer – Policy, IRENA |
| Setting Renewable Energy Targets….and achieving them. Insights from the UAE experience |
Hannes Reinisch, Partner - Sustainability and Climate Change , PricewaterhouseCoopers |
| Renewable Energy Auctions: Driving Falling Prices |
Allen Eisendrath, Global Climate Change Office Director, USAID |
Session III: Costs and Benefits of Renewable Energy
| Name of the presentation | Name of presenter(s) |
| Renewables: The True Costs | Michael Taylor, Senior Analyst, Renewable Cost Status and Outlook, IRENA |
| Renewable Energy Benefits | Rabia Ferroukhi, Senior Programme Officer - Policy Advice, Deputy Director of Knowledge, Policy and Finance Centre, IRENA |
| South Africa’s Renewable Energy’s Economic Impact | Sake van der Wal, Consul Economic (Dubai), Department of Trade and Industry |
Session IV: Mapping the RE Support in the Region
| Name of the presentation | Name of presenter(s) |
| Stakeholder mappings: Main findings of gap analysis |
Katarina Uherova Hasbani, Consultant |
| UNECE Group of Experts on Renewable Energy | Gianluca Sambucini, Economic Affairs Officer, UNECE |
| World Bank’s Engagement on Renewable Energy in Central Asia |
Mits Motohashi, Senior Energy Specialist World Bank Group Energy & Extractives |
Session V: Identifying Priority Actions
| Name of the presentation | Name of presenter(s) |
| IRENA’s support to build project pipelines | Nicolas Fichaux, Programme Officer - Resource Assessment, IRENA |
| Renewable Energy Statistics | Adrian Whiteman, Senior Programme Officer – Statistics, IRENA |
| Enabling Frameworks: Renewables Readiness Assessment |
Gurbuz Gonul, Senior Programme Officer – Regions, IRENA |
| Long-term capacity expansion planning with variable renewable power |
Daniel Russo, Junior Professional Associate - Planning for the Global Energy transition, IRENA |
| Grid integration of variable renewable sources – Overcoming technical and operational bottlenecks |
Francisco Gafaro, Programme Officer, Technology Innovation, IRENA |
Preparations for the Ministerial Conference and the 8th International Forum “Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Energy”, 11-14 June 2017, Astana, Kazakhstan (IRENA/UNECE)
| Name of the presentation | Name of presenter(s) |
| Preparations for the Ministerial Conference and the 8th International Forum “Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Energy”, 11-14 June 2017, Astana, Kazakhstan (IRENA/UNECE) |
Gianluca Sambucini, Economic Affairs Officer, UNECE |