Senior delegates at Ministerial Conference on Energy, Astana Economic Forum, Foreign Investors’ Council. The EBRD is taking an active part in events during Expo-2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan, the theme of which will be “Future Energy”.
Senior delegations, including EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti, will join discussions in various fora with a focus on sustainable energy, including renewable generation, energy efficiency and other forms of climate finance and related policy reform, where the Bank is a recognised leader in its region of operations.
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EBRD-related events will start after the official opening of the Expo on 9 June.
11June EBRD Managing Director, Energy and Natural Resources, Nandita Parshad will represent the Bank at the high-level ministerial conference on Energy, “Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Energy”, and participate in the ministerial dialogue on renewable energy in Central Asia, where a communiqué on the Action Plan for Renewable Energy in Central Asia is expected to be released.
12-14 June Aida Sitdikova, EBRD Director for Energy and Natural Resources, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia, will lead the Bank’s delegation at the Eighth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development, which will continue the debate started at the ministerial conference. Ms Sitdikova and members of her team will speak at several events.
12 June Linking policy for energy efficiency and renewables will be explored by Russell Bishop, EBRD Principal Economist, at the IEA-organised event within the Forum.
14 June A session on renewable energy finance will be organised by the EBRD together with IRENA, the international renewables body. The session will be opened by Aida Sitdikova and moderated by the EBRD’s Jan-Willem van de Ven, Head of Carbon Market Development.
15-16 June At the Astana Economic Forum “New Energy – New Economy” EBRD speakers will include:
Mattia Romani, EBRD Managing Director, Economics, Policy and Governance
Agris Preimanis, EBRD Director, Head of Kazakhstan
Aida Sitdikova, EBRD Director for Energy and Natural Resources, Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia.
15 June At 12.30, Agris Preimanis will give a press briefing at the Forum dedicated to the latest economic forecasts and recommendations for Kazakhstan. Mattia Romani will join him to talk about opportunities for Kazakhstan and the region arising from the China-led Belt and Road Initiative.
15 June At 15.45 – 17.15, the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan and the EBRD are organising a panel on “Green Economy and Its Fiscal Consequences”, which Mattia Romani will moderate. This will include a keynote speech by the Minister of Finance of Kazakhstan, Bakhyt Sultanov.
16 June At 9.30 – 13.00, the workshop on the model of green financial system in Kazakhstan and implementation roadmap. Jan Willem van de Ven will say one of welcome speeches.
16 June At 11.20 – 13.00, Mattia Romani will moderate a session "The Dialogue of Silk Road Leaders: A New Episode for Globalization: The Silk Road Initiative”.
22 June Members of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) gather for the 30th plenary session of the body. The FIC, chaired by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, is traditionally co-chaired by the EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti.
Natalia Khanjenkova, EBRD Managing Director, Central Asia and Russia, will also attend the FIC.
23 June EBRD President Chakrabarti will give a speech at the Nazarbayev University, focusing on the direction of development for Central Asia and the role of youth.
During the June events in Astana, a number of new EBRD projects will be signed, The Bank will extend financing to new renewable energy generating facilities, public utility renovations, sustainable natural resources development, small and medium-sized enterprises and other vital areas.
To date, the EBRD has invested €7.3 billion in various sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy, with a focus on non-oil and gas sectors where it is the largest institutional investor. Close to €1.65 billion has been invested in sustainable energy and resource projects; one of the latest examples of cooperation in this area is a US$ 180 million programme to rehabilitate irrigation systems in three regions of Kazakhstan, where climate change is threatening large agricultural areas with desertification.
The Bank is the largest financier of renewable energy in its region and a leading proponent of energy efficiency. To date, under its Green Economy Transition umbrella, the Bank has invested over €23 billion in sustainable energy projects across more than 35 countries over three continents.