DUSHANBE, April 11, Asia-Plus — The second meeting of a Task Force on regional Electricity Cooperation in Central and South Asia and special workshop on hydropower management in Central Asia will be held in Dushanbe from April 22-23, Asia-plus ahs learned at the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI).
The source at a MoEI said that the meeting and the workshop are organized by the ministry and the Energy Charter Secretariat.
The workshop, scheduled for April 22, is aiming to assess the present state of cooperation in Central Asia and discuss efficient methods of management of hydropower in the region. The seminar participants are also expected to exchange views on ways to strengthen regional cooperation.
In the meantime, the meeting of the Task Force that will take place on April 23 will consider issues related to international practice of creation of cross-border electricity markets. Besides, representatives from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will discuss their interests and obligations on developing model agreements for cross-border electricity projects. They will also consider issues related to regulation of hydropower regimes in order to use experience of other regions.
Six countries from Central and South Asia held the first meeting of a Task Force on Regional Electricity Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Kabul on 18 November. The meeting was organized by the Energy Charter Secretariat and the Government of Afghanistan, with financial assistance from the Government of Norway. The meeting underlined the importance of establishing links in the power sector between economies with high energy demand in South Asia and the energy-rich countries of Central Asia, based on the shared interest in bringing prosperity to the people of the region.
Delegations from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan agreed a declaration (the ‘
Kabul Declaration on Promoting Regional Electricity Cooperation between Central and South Asia
’) in which they resolved to work towards a joint understanding of the legal and technical framework for regional power trade, based on the principles of the Energy Charter and the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty.
They also proposed that the
Energy Charter’s Model Agreements
, currently developed for cross-border oil and gas pipelines, should be adapted to provide a basis for cross-border electricity projects.
