ASTANA – East Kazakhstan region Akim (Governor) Daniyal Akhmetov and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) President Sir Suma Chakrabarti signed a 5.6 billion tenge (US$17.6 million) agreement to finance modernising the street lighting systems in six cities and 11 towns in the region. The document, signed in London in early March, will provide more than 32,000 energy-saving bulbs and the changes will benefit a population of more than 630,000.
Photo credit: EBRD.
The project is the second stage to introduce energy-saving street light technology in the region, as the administration and the bank previously inked the corresponding agreements for smart lighting systems. The 4.8 billion tenge (US$15.1 million) contracts will replace more than 25,000 bulbs with energy-saving technology in Semei and Ust-Kamenogorsk. The work will start in May.
The regional administration and EBRD management will also consider the possibility of developing technical documentation and financing for a 29.5 billion tenge (US$92.6 million) modern waste management and recycling project in Ust-Kamenogorsk. In addition. the bank is to examine a 33.3 billion tenge (US$104.5 million) gasification project in 50 rural settlements in the Tarbagatai, Urzhar and Zaisan districts.
While in London, Akhmetov visited the Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility, where he learned about sorting and processing solid waste. The delegation also spoke with the management of Transport for London, the British capital’s public transport operator, to gain experience in public transportation organisation.
Akhmetov met with EBRD Vice President for Banking Alain Pilloux March 6 to discuss additional joint investment projects aimed at developing the region’s infrastructure.
The current agreements will increase the bank’s investment volume in the region up to 108.9 billion tenge (US$341.9 million) by the end of the year. Including the recently-signed document, 10 loan and investment agreements totalling 46.1 billion tenge (US$144.8 million) have been concluded between the entities since 2015.
According to the bank, in line with international efforts to combat climate change, EBRD supports improvements in energy efficiency and energy savings in every nation where it operates. The bank aims to unlock each country’s significant energy efficiency potential and promote energy efficiency investments including power generation and gas flaring reduction, energy efficiency in industrial processes, energy savings in residential and public buildings and an environmentally friendly transport infrastructure.
