Seventh Task Force meeting on regional electricity cooperation in Central and South Asia

The Task Force on Regional Energy Cooperation, established under the Bishkek Declaration in April 2007, met in Kyrgyzstan to assess the work undertaken since the establishment of the group. The objective was also to discuss future activities and to intensify and develop cross-border energy cooperation. The 7th meeting of the Task Force on Regional Energy Cooperation, which took place on 23 June 2011, was organised by the Energy Charter Secretariat together with the Ministry of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic and the National Electrical Grid of Kyrgyzstan. There were thirty-five participants from the governments and national energy companies of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Participants also included representatives of the Central Asian Regional Coordinative Dispatch Centre, the CIS Electric Power Council, the South Asian Association on Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat, the SAARC Energy Centre, and representatives of the US government-funded project on Regional Energy Security, Efficiency and Trade (RESET) Programme in Central and South Asia.

The country presentations made by the delegations provided up-to-date information on the latest developments of the participating countries' energy sectors and gave full accounts of current and scheduled cross-border energy trade and transit schemes. Delegations from the Central Asian republics stressed the importance of accession of Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Energy Charter Treaty so as to facilitate the implementation of new energy interconnections with Central Asia and the development of a coherent legal and technical regime in accordance with the Energy Charter principles.

The Task Force had follow-up discussions on the presentations related to electricity transit issues made by the CIS Electric Power Council and the Central Asian Regional Coordinative Dispatch Centre. The delegations from the Central Asian republics had suggested the use of this forum to discuss issues related to electricity transit and technical matters and standards related to regional interconnections.

Speakers from India and the SAARC Energy Centre outlined the potential for extended cooperation between energy-rich Central Asia and energy-scarce but energy-demanding South Asia. They emphasised the importance of enhanced regional cooperation between these two regions.

The Declaration, agreed by the participating delegations, recommended working towards a joint understanding on legal, regulatory and technical frameworks for cross-border energy transit and trade. The importance of rapid completion of the Transit Protocol negotiations was emphasised together with a call for further discussion on electricity transit issues in the context of this region. Participating countries also suggested continuing to work towards a high-level political commitment to enhance regional energy cooperation using the Energy Charter Treaty. There was a recommendation to use this forum in other regions, which might be interested in sharing knowledge on best practice examples within the Energy Charter constituency.

Programme and presentations

Welcome speech and introduction to the workshop

Mr. Batyrkul Baetov (in Russian)
State Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Kyrgyzstan

Mr. Steivan Defilla
Director for Trade and Transit, Energy Charter Secretariat

Session one: Task Force on regional energy cooperation - achievements to date

Ms. Thea Khitarishvili
Senior Expert, Directorate of Trade and Transit, Energy Charter Secretariat

Session two: Country briefs on current and prospective cross-border projects and trade

Chair: Mr. Batyrkul Baetov, State Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Kyrgyzstan

Demand Side

Mr. Hilal A. Raza
Director, South Asian Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Energy Centre, Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Mr. D.N. Raina
President, Entecsol International, Republic of India

Transit

Mr. Ghulam Faruq Qazizadah
Deputy Minister of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Water, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Electricity Generation and Supply

Mr. Kybanychbek Ismailov (in Russian)
Deputy Director General, Joint Stock Company "National Electrical Grid of Kyrgyzstan", Kyrgyzstan

Mr. Rustam Rakhimov (in Russian)
First Deputy Chairman, Open Joint Stock Holding Company "Barki Tojik", Tajikistan

Thermal Electric Systems, Oil and Gas Infrastructure

Mr. Valeriy Li (in Russian)
Director, Systems and Service Operations, Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC), Kazakhstan

Mr. Eso Sadullaev (in Russian)
Head of Dispatch Department, State Joint Stock Company "UzbekEnergo", Uzbekistan

Discussion

Session three: Promoting regional energy cooperation

Chair: Mr. Steivan Defilla, Director for Trade and Transit, Energy Charter Secretariat

Ms. Thea Khitarishvili
Senior Expert, Directorate for Trade and Transit, Energy Charter Secretariat

Mr. Khamidulla Shamsiev (in Russian)
Director, Central Asian Regional Coordinative Dispatch Centre "Energy"

Mr. Adolf Makhin (Trade Issues | Transit Issues, in Russian)
Senior Specialist, CIS Electric Power Council

Ms. Joellyn Murphy (in Russian)
Chief of Party, Regional Energy Security, Efficiency and Trade Program (RESET), USAID

Mr. Ghulam Dastgir
Director (ETS), South Asian Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat

Panel Discussion: Identification of Needs for Fostering Cross-Border Cooperation

Chair: Mr Patrice Dreiski, Senior Expert, Private Office, Energy Charter Secretariat

Session four: Way forward and preparation for the ministerial meeting

Chair: Mr. Steivan Defilla, Director for Trade and Transit, Energy Charter Secretariat

Concluding remarks

Mr. Batyrkul Baetov
State Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Kyrgyzstan

Mr. Steivan Defilla
Director for Trade and Transit, Energy Charter Secretariat