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.
