The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that the first Central Asian Clean Energy Forum (CACEF) will be held on September 13-15 in Almaty, Qazmonitor reports citing Kapital.
The forum, with the theme "Energy Transition and Innovation," will bring together more than 200 government representatives from all five countries in the region - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - as well as regional and global investors, technology companies, utilities, and international organizations.
Speakers from Central Asia, the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Austria, and France will present key initiatives around the world to meet climate commitments, the role of innovation, technology, and finance to support the energy transition, and the opportunities and challenges of market-based regional cooperation and electricity trade that have profound implications for the future trajectory of Central Asia's energy system.
Other areas of interest include creating a Central Asian Regional Electricity Market, developing renewable energy education, and diversifying the workforce.
As part of the forum, USAID will also launch the American Innovation Center for Central Asia, a virtual platform to promote the use of global best practices and modern technologies for renewable energy development and integration.
Over the past 30 years, the U.S. Government has worked with Central Asian countries on a range of activities related to economic growth, energy sector modernization and sustainability, natural resource management, and climate change adaptation.
USAID has supported countries' efforts to improve the performance of electric utilities, attract clean energy investments, and expand cross-border electricity trade. In 2020, USAID launched Power Central Asia, a flagship five-year, $40 million project organized around three pillars: energy sector rehabilitation, clean energy investment, and cross-border trade.
With major changes in both the regional and global energy scene, the Central Asia Clean Energy Forum seeks to bring together policymakers, utility executives, representatives of leading technology companies and international investors to discuss energy strategies, new clean energy technologies and investments.