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Kyrgyzstan|business|November 21, 2016 / 05:30 PM
EBRD and EU support a green and sustainable future in Kyrgyz Republic

AKIPRESS.COM - EBRDEBRD and EU are stepping up their support to the sustainable use of resources in Kyrgyzstan by launching the next phase of the Kyrgyz Sustainable Energy Finance Facility (KyrSEFF).

The EBRD offers US$ 35 million in loans to local partner banks for on-lending to both local residents and small and medium-sized enterprises, while the EU supports these investments with more than €9.2 million in grants – for example, through incentive payments and free technical advise on how to optimise energy efficiency. This finance package is available on top of the previously committed US$ 20 million and €7 million, respectively.

KyrSEFF has already made a tangible difference to more than 600 households and dozens of businesses – to Saltanat Kazykeeva, for example, and the local residents in her neighbourhood.

Ms Kazykeeva opened her small supermarket “U Doma” in the capital Bishkek five years ago. She has been determined to support the local community, preserve the environment and fight waste ever since. Her shop already recycled meticulously paper and plastic, but she still wanted to do more and reduce the ‘less visible’ waste of energy.

“My husband and I have a young family with three children and like all parents, we feel responsible and want to build a bright and happy future for them,” Ms Kazykeeva explains. “We have built up good relations with all our neighbours and clients. We wanted to lead by example and show how you can care for the environment.”

Her mission has been successful thanks to a KyrSEFF loan which allowed her to invest in measures to save energy in her shop – using halogenic lights, more efficient fridges and insulating windows properly. Various clients have noticed the improvements and consider doing the same. At the same time, Ms Kazykeeva has cut her energy costs by half.

KyrSEFF has been a true success story: it has helped reduce CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tons every year. This is the equivalent to taking almost 25,000 cars off the road.

Various challenges still remain though. This is the reason why the second phase of KyrSEFF now includes loans for using resources in general more sustainably – most importantly water. The potential is huge: treating and saving water for the hotels at the tourism hotspots around Lake Issyk Kul, more efficient irrigation systems for farms in the fertile Fergana Valley or helping commercial clients combine water and energy savings.

The EBRD’s Green Economy Transition (GET) approach seeks to scale up the volume of climate finance. By 2020, the EBRD aims to dedicate 40 per cent of its annual investments to green economy projects, doubling the pace of financing in this sector compared with the last five years.

“These investments to mitigate the effects and adapt to climate change are now more important than ever, here in Central Asia and elsewhere,” Neil McKain, the EBRD’s Director for Central Asia, said. “We are very much looking forward to launching this next phase of KyrSEFF and helping businesses and households in their ambition to build a green future for the country.”

“KyrSEFF II will give the opportunity to the Kyrgyz Republic to save energy and save water and at the same time become more resilient to climate change. We are proud to be able to support this with the EU’s Investment Facility for Central Asia, through which we have delivered more than €45 million for the mobilisation of big infrastructure projects with the EBRD. We are also hoping to support the increased use of renewable energy sources such as small hydropower plants in the future,” said Jaap Ora, Head of Political, Press and Information Section of the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic.

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