Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – The award ceremony for the most energy efficient school in Bishkek took place today in the Yntymak city park. Ecological-economic Lyceum No. 65 was recognized as the most energy efficient school in the capital city. This nomination recognises the contribution of the school and the teachers to the formation of schoolchildren’s skills in the careful and rational use of natural resources, promotion of energy saving and sustainable energy consumption.

The event was organised by the European Union (EU) project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia” (SECCA) with the support of the Administration of Education of the Bishkek City Mayor’s Office as part of the EU festival “Europe Summer Fest Bishkek 2023” and the EU Sustainable Energy Days in Kyrgyzstan.

The event was attended by the lyceum management, teachers, students and their parents, representatives of the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, the Administration of Education of the Bishkek City Mayor’s Office and the general public.

Mr Hans Farnhammer, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, and Ms Ainura Arstambekova, Director of Administration of Education, awarded the Lyceum with a diploma. Mr Paata Janelidze, SECCA Team Leader, presented to Ms Olga Soloshenko, the Lyceum director, a commemorative crystal figurine and donated the educational and methodological manual for schoolchildren “Climate Change Issues” as a gift from the project.

After the award ceremony, the schoolchildren took part in a flash mob on electric scooters under the slogan “Reduce Carbon Emissions, Save the Planet!”. The purpose of the flashmob was to draw attention to the high levels of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the transport that lead to the deterioration of the environment, climate and consequently human health, and to inspire people to choose more environmentally friendly means of transportation.

The Sustainable Energy Days are held in Kyrgyzstan and all countries of Central Asia with the aim to raise awareness among all national stakeholder groups and the general public in the region about the importance, benefits and accessibility of sustainable energy.

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – More than 50 national stakeholders of the Kyrgyz Republic, sustainable energy policymakers and experts from the European Union (EU), as well as representatives of academia, civil society, business, and international financial institutions gathered at the International Conference “Sustainable energy in Kyrgyzstan: prospects and challenges” (Conference) today.

The Conference was organised jointly by the Ministry of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic and the EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia” (SECCA). It marked the World Climate Change Day and kicked off the EU Sustainable Energy Days 2023 (SED) in the Kyrgyz Republic.

SED takes place in the Kyrgyz Republic first out of the five countries of Central Asia (CA). The purpose of this EU campaign is to enhance the awareness of all national stakeholder groups and the broader public in the region on the significance, benefits and accessibility of sustainable energy.

The geography and topography of the Kyrgyz Republic makes it one of the most vulnerable to climate change and natural hazards countries in CA. The country is projected to experience temperature rises considerably above the global average. Climate change has a significant adverse effect on the energy supply, which is already under pressure. Although a relatively small emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Kyrgyzstan nevertheless committed to reduce emissions further under the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2021. The transformation of the energy sector, which is responsible for 60% of countries GHG emissions, is at the core of the country’s mitigation plan.

The Conference provided an action-oriented forum for decision-makers and experts to share knowledge and experiences in the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and projects in practice. In addition, the delegates from the EU and EU Member States shared experience and best practices based on the lessons learnt.

Addressing the participants, Mr Hans Farnhammer, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, reiterated the EU support to the country and stated: “In November 2022, the EU launched the Global Gateway Team Europe Initiative on Water, Energy and Climate Change in Central Asia. This flagship initiative aims to support regional cooperation, contribute to sustainable management of water and energy resources, address environmental and climate change challenges. The Kyrgyz Republic has made strong commitments to tackle climate change. We welcome the Kyrgyz Government’s plans to decrease the consumption of fossil fuels, scale up renewables, modernise the energy supply system and promote energy efficient consumption, and are ready to share the EU know-how and experience. As the world’s biggest donor, the EU is committed to continue supporting the country in its adaptation and mitigation efforts for a fair transition towards climate neutrality.”

During the Conference, the participants discussed development and implementation of policies on renewable energy and energy efficiency. As part of the discussion, they reviewed relevant policies and experience of the EU Member States, European Neighbourhood countries, and the CA countries, and provided recommendations for future development of the energy sector of the Kyrgyz Republic. Last but not least, the participants discussed available financial mechanisms for sustainable energy projects.

Background: 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.

For additional information, please contact Mrs Yelena Serebrennikova, Senior Communication Expert, SECCA, email: media@secca.eu, WhatsApp: +77019814020, Mrs Nurgul Smagulova-Dulic, Digital Communication Expert, SECCA, email: nurgul.smagulova@secca.eu, WhatsApp: +77012066760, or the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic, email: delegation-kyrgyzstan-pic@eeas.europa.eu.

As part of the European Union (EU) Sustainable Energy Days in Kazakhstan, the EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia” (SECCA) is pleased to launch a Mural design competition “Sustainable Energy for a Better Future” (Competition).

The Competition is organized in partnership with Astana City Urban Development Centre, International Green Technologies and Investment Projects Centre and the Institute for the Development of Electricity and Energy Saving with the support of the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The purposes of the Competition are:

• to raise awareness of the need to switch to green energy and energy efficiency
• to create an understanding of sustainable energy, including, but not limited to, renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and energy saving among residents and guests of the city of Astana
• to identify talented artists and promote their creative growth and involvement in the formation of the city’s positive image, taking into account current climate advocacy trends.

Citizens of Kazakhstan and foreign citizens permanently residing in Kazakhstan of 18 years old and over are eligible to participate and submit mural designs to the SECCA project at info@secca.eu.

The deadline for submission of the design has been extended to 22 May 2023.

The best design will be reproduced on the facade of the school building located at: Astana city, Esil district, Sauran street, building 5/1 (“School-Lyceum № 59” of Astana City Akimat).

The Regulation of the competition in Kazakh, English and Russian can be downloaded below:

Astana, Kazakhstan – The First Steering Committee meeting of the European Union’s (EU) project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” took place with participation of officials from the countries of Central Asia (CA) and representatives of the EU.

The meeting was organised with the aim to follow up and assess the Project’s progress and to discuss and agree on project activities for the next 6-month period, while ensuring close cooperation and coordination between national and regional stakeholders.

Addressing the participants, Mr Johannes Baur, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, reiterated the EU support to the countries of the region and noted: “Green transition, transition to renewable energy and stricter energy efficiency remain a core policy of the EU. It is also strong part of our external policy. In line with the Paris Agreement, we all must reduce carbon emissions, and the energy sector plays a key role in that. The Central Asian countries already committed to carbon neutrality. The EU’s SECCA project, which is a part of our Global Gateway Team Europe Initiative on Water, Energy and Climate Change in Central Asia, aims to contribute to this effort. The EU fully supports regional cooperation on renewables, electricity and joint modelling for the sustainable energy sector in Central Asia.”

During the meeting, the participants discussed directions and gave recommendations for further refinement of the Project’s scope of work. The participants noted the Project’s technical assistance to the countries based on the EU best practices, in particular, to Kazakhstan on development of the energy efficiency concept and to the Kyrgyz Republic on small hydropower.

The Project Steering Committee convenes at least once every year to oversee and validate the overall direction of the SECCA project activities in the CA countries.

Background: 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 fulfill 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 EE and RE. The project activities include capacity development for energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) deployment, awareness raising on EE and RE, and improving investment climate for EE and RE projects.

For additional information, please contact Mrs Yelena Serebrennikova, Senior Communication Expert, SECCA, email: media@secca.eu, WhatsApp +77019814020, Mrs Nurgul Smagulova-Dulic, Digital Communication Expert, SECCA, email: nurgul.smagulova@secca.eu, WhatsApp: +77012066760, or the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan: delegation-kazakhstan-pic@eeas.europa.eu.

The European Union launches a regional Reels contest “Reels4SustainableEnergy” among university students, young researchers and young professionals in the area of engineering, energy, environment or climate studies from Central Asia

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The European Union (EU) is a global leader on climate action and green transition.  The EU and the five Central Asia (CA) countries, namely, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, work together to build synergies for sustainable energy sector and make the region a stronger player on the global scene.

In line with the European Green Deal, EU Strategy on Central Asia, and the Global Gateway Team Europe Initiative on Water, Energy and Climate Change in Central Asia, the EU is committed to support CA countries in their current transition to green energy by “building upon the region’s potential in solar, wind and hydroelectric energy” in order to “contribute to strengthening the region’s energy resilience, helping to meet its climate objectives, and creating jobs and business opportunities on both sides.”

The CA region has abundant sustainable energy potential; it possesses an estimated 5 % of the world’s natural capacity for wind and solar energy capture. The five countries of CA need to scale up the development of renewable energy sources and become far more energy efficient.

The EU fosters CA countries energy resilience through sharing its best available techniques and expertise in renewables (RE) and energy efficiency (EE). At the EU-Central-Asia Conference on Connectivity in November 2022 in Samarkand, the EU and CA countries agreed to facilitate cooperation in the energy field to accelerate the green energy transition in Central Asia, in particular by promoting RE and EE as well as through introduction of energy-efficient and resource saving technologies.

THE CONTEST PURPOSES

As part of the EU–CA Sustainable Energy Days, the EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia” (SECCA) is pleased to launch an Instagram reels (short video) contest among university students, young researchers, and young professionals in the area of engineering, energy, environment or climate studies from the CA countries “Reels4SustainableEnergy” under the slogan “Accelerating the clean energy transition – towards lower bills and greater skills”.

The purposes of the contest “Reels4SustainableEnergy” are to promote the environmental and economic benefits of saving energy, facilitate energy efficiency, increase public awareness on the need to develop renewable energy sources, and foster creative capacity of university students, young researchers and young professionals of energy companies and/or organizations from Central Asia.

Through the reels the applicants (contestants) should showcase simple practices how people can save energy in daily lives, as well as transit to RE. The reels should teach relatives, friends, neighbours, and public at large about the benefits of energy efficiency, what can be done to reduce consumption, and possibly change behaviour pattern, as well as encourage the use of energy-efficient alternatives for heating, cooling, transport, and other daily activities.

Young people will get a chance to express themselves in a creative way and share their vision through Instagram Reels, as well as inspire others to reduce energy consumption and to successfully promote energy saving.

As a result of the contest, 6 winners will be selected (one I prize, two II prizes, three III prizes). The winners will take part in an international study tour to learn about the European experience in RE, EE and sustainable energy transition. The study tour will be organized by the SECCA project and is tentatively scheduled for autumn 2023.

THE CONTEST TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Eligibility:

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

• Be a citizen of one of the five Central Asia countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan).
• Age 18-35.
• Be a student of an university in one of the CA countries in the area of engineering, energy, environment or climate studies, or young researcher of an energy, environmental or climate research institution in one of the CA countries, or a young professional of an energy / environmental company or organisation from one of the CA countries.

The SECCA project reserves the right to check whether the applicant (contestant) meets the eligibility requirements through a student’s ID check, employment verification check as well as applicants age check.

The language of the contest reels dialogue/audio (if any) should be either English or Russian, or Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek with the translation into English or Russian.

The Contest period shall start at 12:00 a.m. Astana time (UTC+6) on 30 March 2023 and end at 23:59 p.m. Astana time (UTC +6) on 19 May 2023.

How to enter the contest:  

• Each applicant (contestant) must have a personal Instagram account and be subscribed to the SECCA’s Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/secca.eu/).
• Each applicant (contestant) has to verify their Instagram account is set as a “Public account” to ensure viewability of all entries.
• During the above-mentioned Contest Period, each applicant (contestant) who will upload a self-made Instagram Reels to their personal Instagram account with the hashtag #Reels4Energy (or#Reels4SustainableEnergy) and @secca.eu tag is entering the contest. Please note that the maximum duration of each uploaded Instagram Reels shall not be more than 90 seconds. After uploading the reels with the required hashtag and tag, each applicant (contestant) must fill in the application form (please see below) and send it to the e-mail address: media@secca.eu
• Each applicant (contestant) may upload no more than 3 Instagram Reels under the hashtag #Reels4Energy (or #Reels4SustainableEnergy) and @secca.eu tag.

The contest reels content:

• Cannot not include any offensive or violent scenes.
• Cannot derogate, defame, or misrepresent any person or a company/organization.
• Cannot advertise or promote any brand or product of any kind, without permission.
• Cannot infringe music copyright laws of Meta Platforms, Inc.: applicants (contestants) must verify that the song/music they are using is part of the official Instagram library.

If the contest reels will contain any material/element which is not owned by the applicant (contestant), and which is subject to the copyright by a third party, in this case, the applicant (contestant) shall be responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the reels, any consents necessary to permit the use of such material/element. The applicant (contestant) shall also obtain the consent/permission from any person who appears in or is identifiable in the reels.

SECCA shall not be liable if the applicants (contestants) infringe the copyright laws with their reels.

The Evaluation Committee will be established to evaluate the contest reels. 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 expert team.

The main evaluation criteria are the following:

• Relevance/compliance with the theme
• Creativity
• Understanding of the subject
• Quality of the video (reels).

The contest results shall be announced at the Award Ceremony as part of the Sustainable Energy Conference to be organized by SECCA in Astana on 2 June 2023.The Award Ceremony will be held in a hybrid format allowing for contestants from other than Astana locations join it online.

The Netherlands – Journalists from the countries of Central Asia (CA) – winners of the 2020 and 2022 European Union (EU) regional media contests – visited the Netherlands for a week-long study tour on “Renewable energy – state of the art”.

The study tour was organized jointly by two projects “European Union – Central Asia Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation (WECOOP)” and “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)”, funded by the European Union, with the aim to share the EU and Dutch experience in implementation of new policies in the renewable energy sector, production of wind energy, bioenergy and green hydrogen, introduction of new nature friendly technologies, as well as development of climate adaptive cities and sustainable buildings.

In May 2022, the EU adopted a new plan – REPowerEU – to fast-forward the green transition and scale up renewable energy. The Netherlands along with other EU countries is taking steps to boost sustainable energy production and find smarter ways of using and saving energy. The Dutch government is to set up a EUR 35 billion climate and transition fund aimed at facilitating the installation of the required energy infrastructure. According to the “Oliver Wyman” research (2022), the Netherlands is leading Europe’s energy transition, while the data from Energy Monitor (2022) puts the Netherlands at the forefront of Europe’s hydrogen race with the highest subsidies.

Addressing the participants, Mr Valts Vilnitis, WECOOP Team Leader, stated: “Welcome to the Netherlands! This study tour is your well-deserved prize, and it is a great pleasure for us to see you here. On behalf of the EU’s WECOOP Project and the fellow SECCA Project, let me say thank you for your work and dedication to matters of environmental protection. I hope this study tour will give you many new insights and inspiration for your further research and reporting on green economy, climate action, and, of course, switching to sustainable energy sources”.

8 journalists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan participated in this study tour and visited the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate of the Netherlands, Windpark Groen and House of the Province in Flevoland, GIGA Storage energy company, Green Village in Delft, Port of Rotterdam, SolarEis project in Apeldoorn, and Amsterdam Waste Energy Company.

Background: The EU-funded project “European Union – Central Asia Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation (WECOOP)” (third phase from October 2019 to April 2023) aims to enhance environment, climate change and water policies at national levels in Central Asia through approximation to the EU standards and to promote investments in relevant sectors with the aim of contributing to measurable reductions in man-made pollution, including CO2 emission. The project activities include support to the EU–CA Platform for Environment and Water Cooperation and its Working Group on Environment and Climate Change, as well as implementation of the EU Green Deal’s international dimension in Central Asia to advance climate action.

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. The project activities include capacity development for energy efficience (EE) and renewable energy (RE) deployment, awareness raising on EE and RE, and improving investment climate for EE and RE projects.

For additional information, please contact Mrs Yelena Serebrennikova, Senior Communication Expert, WECOOP and SECCA, e-mail: media@wecoop.eu, mobile/WhatsApp +77019814020, Mrs Nurgul Smagulova-Dulic, Digital Communication Expert, WECOOP and SECCA, e-mail: nurgul.smagulova@wecoop.eu, WhatsApp: +77012066760, or the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan: delegation-kazakhstan-pic@eeas.europa.eu.

Study tour video (in English and Russian):