Kazakhstan – Over 200 representatives of government agencies, affiliate organisations and expert organisations attended the workshops on building energy labelling and cost-optimal level calculations organised in Astana, Almaty, and online. These workshops were jointly held by the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Europea Union funded SECCA project, and the Chamber of Expert Organisations.

Kazakhstan’s building sector is the country’s largest energy consumer. Particularly in winter, high energy consumption results in increased demand on the heating and electricity systems. Data from the Committee for the Regulation of Natural Monopolies reveal that 60% of all thermal energy generated nationwide is used in buildings.

Kazakhstan has already established a legislative framework for energy efficiency labelling of buildings to drive demand for sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. However, other challenges remain, such as improving methodologies for assessing energy efficiency classes and disseminating information among market participants. It is important to adapt international experience to local conditions and raise awareness among key players in the construction sector.

Drawing on the EU experience under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the SECCA experts shared best practices and lessons learned by the EU Member States. The participants improved their capacities and expertise in energy efficiency certification of buildings, calculation of balance of costs, assessment of economic and environmental benefits, and other.

“Energiya Joly” Podcast explores the path to sustainable energy in Central Asia. It has been launched by the EU-funded SECCA Project.

In the new 8th episode, the host and the guest speaker explore Latvia’s energy profile and experience in developing sustainable buildings — from certification and renovation to the prospects of full decarbonization.

The experts discuss how Latvia’s energy system is evolving, what new standards and technologies are used in construction, how the building certification system functions, and what insights could be valuable for Central Asian countries.

Host: Zhaksylyk Tokayev, Energy and Climate Expert, SECCA’s National Coordinator in Kazakhstan.

Guest: Agris Kamenders, Sustainable Building Certification Expert.

Watch the full episode here (in Russian):

This podcast is funded by the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the consortium led by Stanted and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Astana, Kazakhstan — The Third Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting of the European Union (EU) funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” took place in Astana.

The meeting gathered officials from the Central Asian countries, who are the PSC members designated by their respective governments, representatives of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the project implementing consortium partners. This annual meeting serves as a platform for reviewing progress, exchanging ideas, and planning the next steps.

During the meeting, Project Team Leader Mr Paata Janelidze and Key Expert Ms Ilze Purina presented a detailed update on activities carried out from March 2024 to February 2025, highlighting key milestones and achievements and outlining activities planned for the next six months.

Participants welcomed the project’s progress. The meeting also offered an opportunity to strengthen regional dialogue and ensure the alignment of project efforts with the national energy transition priorities of the Central Asian countries.

As part of the European Union – Central Asia Sustainable Energy Days campaign, the European Union (EU) funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” is announcing the regional (Central Asia) media contest “Energy transition for a better tomorrow”. Journalists are invited to submit their materials on the following topics: sustainable energy, renewables, energy efficiency, gender equality in the energy sector, STEM education for girls, green/sustainable building practice, EU–Central Asia sustainable energy cooperation, EU–Central Asia research cooperation under Horizon Europe Programme’s Cluster “Climate, Energy, and Mobility” published in print or online media or aired/broadcast on TV/radio in the period from 15 April 2024 to 14 May 2025.

The European Union (EU) is a global leader on green transition and climate action.  The EU countries are committed to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Energy transition brings profound socio-economic and ecological effects.

In line with the EU Strategy for Central Asia and the “Team Europe” initiative on water, energy, and climate change in Central Asia, developed under the Global Gateway strategy, and by building upon the region’s potential in solar, wind and hydroelectric energy, the EU supports the five Central Asia (CA) countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – in their energy transition efforts towards modern, safe, and sustainable energy systems, while contributing to the global fight against climate change.

The EU fosters the CA countries energy resilience through sharing its best available technologies and expertise in renewables, energy efficiency, green/sustainable building technologies, etc. The EU also acknowledges the importance of ensuring inclusive and gender-responsive energy policies and makes sure that its efforts in promoting sustainable energy address gender equality issues, foster women empowerment, reduce inequalities, promote girls’ education in STEM and their future employment in the energy sector.

The purpose of this media contest is to boost public awareness for transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the Planet, to raise awareness on sustainable energy development, including scaling up renewables, improving energy efficiency, as well as raising awareness on the benefits of the transition into more sustainable and gender-responsive energy systems.

As a result of the media contest, 3 winners will be selected. The winners will receive cash prizes:

• The first-place winner will receive EUR 3,000
• The second-place winner will receive EUR 2,000
• The third-place winner will receive EUR 1,000.

Deadline for submission of application: 14 May 2025 (23:59 UTC+5). Late applications will not be considered.  Journalists from regional and local print and online media, TV/radio stations are welcome to apply.

The Contest Rules

To participate in the contest, the applicants should meet the following criteria:

• Be a citizen of one of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan).
• Age: at least 18 years old.
• The languages of the contest materials – Russian, English, or Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek with the translation into Russian or English. An unofficial translation is accepted.
• An eligible entrant must be an individual. Entrants must be the authors and copyright owners of the material submitted in their name. The contest material should be an original piece of work and not a translation or adaptation of another journalist’s work.
• The materials of individual authors on the above-mentioned topics published in print or electronic media or aired/broadcast on TV/radio within the last 12 months and up to the deadline – that is during the period from 15 April 2024 to 14 May 2025, in the amount of no more than 3 materials from one applicant are accepted for participation in the contest.
• The authors of all the submitted materials shall withhold the rights to their work. By submitting their materials, authors grant the EU-funded SECCA project the right to use them for non-commercial purposes, always crediting the authors and media outlets. Any commercial use shall require the agreement of the author and media outlet.

To take part in the contest, an applicant shall fill out the application form (find below) and attach to it the contest materials (article, feature story, interview, TV/radio story/programme) with indication of hyperlinks to the materials, and in case of a print media attach a scanned PDF copy with the name of the media outlet, date, and number of the issue. The application and all attached materials shall be sent to the e-mail address:  media@secca.eu.

The Evaluation Committee will be established to evaluate the journalistic contest materials. The Evaluation Committee shall include representatives of the Cooperation and/or Political, Press and Information Sections of the EU Delegations to Central Asian countries, as well as the SECCA project management team.

The main evaluation criteria are the following:

• dedication to the contest topic(s);
• the level of research that has gone into the article;
• professional level of presenting the material, style of presentation;
• creativity and/or originality to tell the article.

The contest results shall be announced at the end of May-early June 2025 on the SECCA project website (https://secca.eu) and official social media pages of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan and those of the SECCA project, as well as at a session to be co-organised by SECCA as part of the Astana International Forum.

Additional Information:

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European countries. It is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. It acts globally to promote sustainable development of societies, environment and economies, so that everyone can benefit.

The EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” (from March 2022 to March 2026) aims to promote a sustainable energy mix in the Central Asia region in line with EU best practices. To fulfil its mission, SECCA strives to provide for strengthened and more inclusive policy, regulatory and institutional framework for the transition to a sustainable energy system, within a regional context, and focuses on contributing to the fulfilment of international human rights commitments in CA countries, including equal access to energy, and supporting gender inclusive policies and legislation for energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE). The project activities include capacity development for EE and RE deployment, awareness raising on EE and RE, and improving investment climate for EE and RE projects.

The European Union – Central Asia Sustainable Energy Days campaign is organised yearly in the countries of Central Asia by the EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)”. Its purpose is to enhance the awareness of national stakeholders and the public in the region of Central Asia on the significance, benefits and accessibility of sustainable energy and the interlinkage between energy and climate change. The EU-CA Sustainable Energy Days campaign represents a global edition of EU Sustainable Energy Week, the largest annual event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe, initiated in 2007 by the European Commission.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan – A presidential decree has been adopted outlining measures to enhance public administration in the field of energy efficiency, develop the market for energy service companies (ESCO), advance energy auditing, as well as expand “green” financial instruments as part of the “Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy” in Uzbekistan.

In accordance with this decree, the National Energy Efficiency Agency will be established under the Cabinet of Ministers. One of its core mandates will be to implement a unified state policy on energy efficiency, and develop and regulate incentive and enforcement measures in this area.

Starting from 1 July 2025, the Government will provide subsidies covering:

• 20% of the cost of conducting energy audits of residential buildings
• 20% of the cost of solar panels and solar collectors
• 40% of the cost of heat pumps (with the total subsidy amount not exceeding 50 times the base calculation value).

By 1 September 2025, a Digital Energy Efficiency Platform will be launched, providing a unified register of energy auditors, consultants, managers, and ESCOs, as well as manufacturers of solar panels, solar collectors, heat pumps, and other green technologies.

By 1 October 2025, green energy efficiency standards will be introduced for both domestic producers and importers.

Beginning 1 January 2025, no less than 5% of expenditures of budgetary organisations and 15% of off-budget funds will be allocated to improving energy efficiency.

In addition, an off-budget Fund for the Promotion and Support of Energy Efficiency will be established. The Government plans to allocate equivalent of over 7 million euro in 2025 and over 14 million euro annualy in 2026 and 2027, depending on public needs. Furthermore, it aims to attract an additional €185 million in concessional loans through commercial banks.

The EU-funded SECCA project has been supporting national partners in Uzbekistan in exploring the potential of ESCOs in the country and sharing the experiences and lessons learned from EU Member States. In June 2024, the project organised a technical workshop and a roundtable in Tashkent and is currently developing three draft bylaws on ESCOs.

Ashgabat and Mary, Turkmenistan – From 31 March to 4 April 2025, experts and international consultants of the European Union (EU) funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” visited Turkmenistan.

During this visit, the team held meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and the UNDP Project “Sustainable Cities in Turkmenistan: Integrated Green Urban Development in Ashgabat and Awaza” to review the previous joint activities and discuss future plans for 2025. As part of the technical assistance provided, the experts also delivered the first technical report – “Recommendations on Safety Measures during the Operation of Electric Power Facilities” – to the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, SECCA organised two international conferences:

• On 2 April 2025 in Ashgabat, titled “Decision Support in the Energy Sector for the Sustainable Energy Development in Turkmenistan”, and
• On 4 April 2025 in Mary, titled “System-Thinking for Integrated Energy and Climate Analysis: Study of Peculiarities of Sustainable Energy Development in Turkmenistan”.

Following SECCA’s regional workshops on energy modelling, and at the request of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan, these conferences focused on introducing participants to the data/statistics-related presentation, as well as energy and climate policy modelling. The events were attended by specialists from the Ministry of Energy and faculty members of the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan.

As part of their mission, SECCA experts also visited the construction site of the new State Energy Institute building in Mary. They reviewed the implementation of energy efficiency technologies and discussed the potential for issuing a “Green Certificate” to the facility upon its completion.

“Energiya Joly” Podcast explores the path to sustainable energy in Central Asia. It has been launched by the EU-funded SECCA Project.

In the new 7th episode, the host and the guest speaker explore how heat pumps work, which types are best suited for Kazakhstan’s climate conditions, and how cost-effective their installation is. They discuss real projects in Kazakhstan, mistakes and barriers preventing the widespread adoption of this technology, as well as its potential for rural areas and industry.

Host: Zhaksylyk Tokayev, Energy and Climate Expert, SECCA’s National Coordinator in Kazakhstan.

Guest: Dr Altay Alimgazin, Ph.D. in Engineering, Associate Professor at the Department of Thermal Power Engineering of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

Watch the full episode here (in Russian):

This podcast is funded by the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the consortium led by Stanted and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Gender equality and clean and affordable energy are closely interconnected. They are both a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), respectively “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” (SDG 5) and “Universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy” (SDG 7). Equally, they are also an enabler and a pre-condition for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at large.

Girls and women have specific energy-related needs and make use of energy in different ways compared to boys and men, due to activities and responsibilities shaped by social norms and cultural beliefs around gendered roles. For instance, girls and women tend to be usually assigned domestic and care-taking chores which, amongst others, lead them to spend more time indoors, using energy to prepare meals, wash clothes, heat water, etc.

As such, access to reliable, affordable and clean energy is a major enabler for girls’ and women’s empowerment. When available, it reduces drudgery and saves time for girls and women in managing their domestic chores and enables them to pursue education, study also after sunset, engage in income-generating activities such as starting small businesses or working outside the home. Access to electricity also strengthens women’s safety and improves mobility when dark.

Additionally, clean cooking fuels play a critical role in protecting the health and safety. Households with no access to clean cooking fuels turn to burning wood, coal and manure, which generate hazardous, indoor air pollution that causes a variety of short and long-term diseases, including respiratory problems, eye irritation, allergic reaction, heart diseases and cancer. The World Health Organisation estimates that in 2020, 3.2 million people died globally due to indoor air pollution^[1]. As main users of cooking devices, girls and women are ultimately the main victims of inefficient cook devices. Furthermore, in the absence of clean cooking fuels, women are often tasked with procuring firewood, which implies a significant physical drudgery and increases women’s time poverty, as the daily time invested into collecting firewood cannot be invested into income-generating or educational activities.

Therefore, the degree to which energy policies, products and services are designed and delivered acknowledging, integrating and responding to the needs and views of women impact the effectiveness of energy programmes and policies as well as women’s empowerment. In turn, different levels of women’s empowerment affect the development and resilience of communities at large: global research has demonstrated that the higher the level of education and economic empowerment of women in society, the higher the wellbeing of households and communities, with documented positive impacts on children’s education, household’s healthcare, environmental preservation, corporate innovation and profitability, and societal resilience.

Assessing the Gender and Energy Nexus in Central Asia

In 2022 the European Union launched the EU Support to Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA). The four-year project promotes a more sustainable energy mix in Central Asia in line with EU best practices. Covering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, SECCA strives to strengthen and enhance a more inclusive policy, regulatory and institutional framework for a regional transition to a sustainable energy system. In doing so, it contributes to the promotion and integration of gender- and rights-based considerations into energy policies and targeted energy programmes.

In this scope of work SECCA recently conducted national gender assessments in each of the five target countries to investigate the status of the interconnections between access to clean energy and gender. Four specific dimensions were explored, namely:

1. The policy dimension of the gender and energy nexus
2. Access to electricity and clean cooking fuels
3. Girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education
4. Women’s employment in the energy sector.

The national and regional findings ensuing from this research were presented and discussed during a multi-stakeholder regional conference in Kazakhstan in October 2024.

Regional Overview and Challenges

Based on the research conducted by SECCA, countries within the Central Asian Region share a number of common features and trends, in addition to national specificities.

Gender-disaggregated data in the energy sector are largely unavailable. This applies to the gendered distribution of students across fields of study, the gendered breakdown of the energy sector workforce, pay grids in the energy industry as well as the demographics with and without access to electricity and clean fuels. While data are at times available for some sub-sectors, a systematic and regular collection of gender disaggregated data is lacking and, at best, replaced by estimates.

With regard to energy policies, references to gender equality and/or social inclusion remain limited. When available, they are more frequent in climate-related policies, documents and regulations than in the energy sector. Generally, Ministries of Energy do not yet have separate, dedicated resources, including budgets, to mainstream gender. It is however promising that Ministries of Energy in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have recently established a Gender Committee and a Gender Council respectively.

Gender imbalances are visible starting from STEM-related studies, which are mostly undertaken by men. While no data are available for girls in STEM in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, current estimates and partial figures from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan indicate that girls account for about 30-40 percent of STEM graduates. Uzbekistan shows promising developments, with the Statistics Agency reporting a steady increase in the share of girls in STEM, raising from 32.6 percent in 2017 to 40.2 percent in 2021.

Women’s under-representation in these fields is not due to a lower retention of female students in education: data from Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic show that girls are underrepresented in STEM despite studying longer and being more qualified than boys. Social and cultural norms still play a key role in directing young student’s educational and professional paths: studies conducted in Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic point, in particular, to the predominant influence of parents and family environments.

Awareness is starting to be raised about the importance of building the talent force in sectors related to the energy transition. This occurs especially via international initiatives promoting girls in STEM in Central Asia, such as Skills4Girls by UNICEF and STEM4All by UNDP and UNICEF, whereas domestic programmes focus more on youth-oriented engagement than on girls-only initiatives.

The gender imbalance across fields of study is relevant also because it confines women to less paid jobs and positions. In particular, the energy sector displays one of the highest gender imbalances in the workforce among industries, with women accounting on average for 16 percent of the workforce in the energy sector in the Region.

Besides being significantly fewer than men, women’s employment in energy companies is also characterised by:

• An over-representation of women across lower paid and administrative positions
• Barriers in career advancement opportunities
• An under-representation of women in managerial and leadership roles.

In addition to the mentioned imbalance in STEM education, common barriers preventing or limiting women’s access, retention and progression within the energy sector workforce include cultural and societal norms, beliefs and expectations around gendered roles; gendered stereotypes about male and female capacities and aspirations; conservative role model projections; women’s low self-confidence; lack of women-oriented coaching, mentoring, networking and job placement opportunities; biased human resource and retention practices, and corporate policies not aligned to work-life balance. In fact, most energy companies in the Region do not currently comprise of specific policies and programmes to assess and improve their gender equality performance. Corporate programmes on awareness-raising, anti-harassment, gender equality targets, and gender mainstreaming trainings are mostly missing. The few corporate initiatives to improve internal equality and inclusion performance remain individual, voluntary measures.

The renewable energy sector is no exception to this gendered imbalance, although it offers a more nuanced picture: women’s employment therein is estimated to be higher than in the traditional energy sector in the case of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. In Kazakhstan, renewable energies employ fewer women than the traditional energy sector, whereas no notable difference between the two sectors is detected in Turkmenistan as far as women’s employment is concerned[2].

As to energy access, countries in the Region have generally achieved universal electrification. Yet, stable, affordable and reliable access to electricity is still not thoroughly ensured, particularly to dwellers in rural and remote areas, which still account for a large share of the population in countries, such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where urban residents are a minority. Due to the roles and tasks that they are socially expected to perform, women are disproportionately impacted by the constraints and challenges posed by insufficient and unreliable energy access.

Promising Steps Forward

Findings from the SECCA research indicate that Central Asia is in its early days with regard to the integration of gender considerations across the multiple dimensions of the energy sector. Despite the large share of common issues, regional initiatives, exchanges and cooperation in the field remain few and at an early stage. Yet, the Region also features some examples of promising concepts and practices, a sample of which is provided hereafter.

• Associations of Women in Energy: Several associations of women in energy have been recently established in Central Asia, bringing together women working in the energy sector and committed to promote a more inclusive and gender equal energy industry. Initiatives such as the “Women in Energy Club”, the “Women for the Just Transition Network”, the Women’s Club “Oil Girl” in Kazakhstan or the “Women in Energy Association” in the Kyrgyz Republic hold dedicated activities such as awareness-raising events, training programmes, international cooperation, awards for female professionals, and networking platforms to gather female professionals in the energy public and private sector, increase visibility of issues of gender in the sector and promote a women-friendlier sector.
• Gender Equality Roadmap: In 2020, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy developed a Gender Equality Roadmap with practices such as gender mainstreaming, gender indicators, women-friendlier corporate practices and work environments, equal opportunities expected to be implemented. While at present it is not clear to what extent the planned activities have been held, and with what results, the concept of a gender equality roadmap is potentially a valid tool in enhancing awareness, capacities and implementation of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the public and private energy sector.
• Gender Target: In 2022 the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan mandated all State companies to gradually increase the average proportion of women in the boards, boards of directors, and supervisory boards across the entire group of companies of the Samruk Kazyna Fund, which also includes energy corporations, so as to reach a 30 percent share by 2030.
• Gender Equality Board: In 2021, the Uzbek joint-stock company Uzbekenergo established a Gender Equality Board to promote gender equality within the company and provide dedicated support to female staff, safeguarding their rights, welfare and empowerment. In February 2024, the Board set also goals related to the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data about employees of the company, participation in local and international conferences, seminars and training devoted to gender equality. The Gender Equality Board plans to raise awareness about gender equality and the prevention of gender violence among the employees.
• Women’s Empowerment Principles: The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of seven principles developed by the United Nations Global Compact and UN Women to promote gender equality and empower women in the workplace, marketplace, and community. They are based on international labor and human rights standards and provide a framework for businesses to take action on gender equality and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable workplace and society. As of November 2022, 44 Kazakhstani companies were WEPs signatories, including KazMunayGas, the largest national oil and gas company.
• Mentoring Programme for Women in Energy: Since 2022, the OSCE in partnership with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) has been running a dedicated mentoring programme to support Central Asian mid-career women working in the energy transition field by matching them with experienced energy professionals from the Region and beyond and contributing to strengthening local women’s skills, changing gendered perceptions and fostering female leadership.
• MBA Programme for Women in Energy: In 2022 the first dedicated Executive MBA programme on “Women’s Leadership in the Energy Industry” was launched in Atyrau Oil & Gas University in Kazakhstan, to prepare women to become highly professional, proficient managers and business partners in the energy sector.
• Regional Cooperation: In 2022, the Gender Council of the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and the Association of Women in Energy of Kyrgyzstan signed a memorandum of cooperation and understanding to expand cooperation opportunities and increase the role of women in the energy sector, promoting gender-oriented professions in the energy sector, engineering and engineering ICT-technologies, providing consulting, information assistance to the younger generation, as well as organizing joint projects and analytical work.

Preliminary information about the current implementation of and impacts from these initiatives show that, if effectively applied and scaled up regionally, they have the potential to make the energy sector significantly more inclusive and gender-equal.

Author of the article: Silvia Sartori, Gender Specialist, EU-funded SECCA project.

The article was originally published on the the Florence School of Regulation (FSR) website: https://fsr.eui.eu/advancing-gender-equality-and-clean-energy-in-central-asia/

The contents of the article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

The SECCA project is funded by the European Union and implemented by a consortium led by Stantec sa/nv with Intec-GOPA International Energy Consultants, ACTED, and the Florence School of Regulation (FSR) – Energy, as consortium partners.

[1] World Health Organisation, Indoor air pollution, 2023. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health.

[2] Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), 2024. Advancing a Just Energy Transition in Central Asia: Women’s Key Role in the Energy Sector. Available from: https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/f/f/561811.pdf

Mary, Turkmenistan – From 10-31 March 2025, the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan (SEIT) of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan hosted a training workshop on ‘Studying the peculiarities of introducing innovative energy efficiency technologies in the manufacturing sectors of the economy in the climatic conditions of Turkmenistan’. This training workshop was organised jointly by the SEIT, the European Union project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” and the UNDP project “Sustainable Cities in Turkmenistan: Integrated Green Urban Development in Ashgabat and Awaza”.

The event was attended by the specialists of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan, teachers and students of SEIT, specialists of the Scientific and Production Centre ‘Renewable Energy Sources’ at SEIT, key experts of the SECCA project, experts and international consultants of the UNDP project.

The aim of the training workshop was to study the international experience in legal regulation of energy saving and energy efficiency fields. During the presentations, the activities carried out jointly by the Ministry of Energy, SEIT, SECCA project and UNDP project on capacity building of the national specialists, organisation of Sustainable Energy Days and environmental actions for the youth were presented.

The participants learned about the activities of the EU-funded SECCA project and the UNDP Sustainable Cities project in the areas of sustainable energy, renewable energy sources (RES), energy efficiency, waste management, zero waste and the possibility of using waste as RES.  Additionally, the participants discussed the possibility of cooperation between SEIT, the SECCA project and the UNDP project in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency development.

During the training workshop, international consultants also provided the participants with a wide range of information on the implementation of innovative energy efficiency technologies in residential and industrial buildings. The workshop participants were informed about the benefits of RES and energy efficiency and the experience of developed countries in creating a legal and regulatory framework for the development of these sectors.

Online – The European Union funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” held the Initial Training Workshop on Energy Modelling for the specialists of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and other relevant agencies, as well as the faculty members of the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan. This online event aimed to enhance the preparedness of the national specialists ahead of in-person training workshops on energy modelling planned to take place in the country in April 2025.

The online and in-person workshops follow three Regional Trainings on Model-based Integrated Energy and Climate Analyses organised by the SECCA project for the young professionals from Central Asia on 24-27 September 2024, 11-13 December 2024, and 28-31 January 2025. The first and the third regional trainings were also attended by the project’s state partners and national coordinators in the beneficiary countries. Based on the information provided during these regional events and considering the state of application of modelling in developing sustainable energy strategies for Turkmenistan, representatives of Turkmenistan specifically asked the SECCA project to hold these training workshops in the country for the national specialists.

Among other, the work of the SECCA project on energy modelling focuses on building capacities of the Central Asian countries to develop national energy sector models and improving local systems thinking and knowledge (data) based decision making in the energy and climate sectors.