Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek hosted the first awards ceremony for achievements in sustainable energy carried out under the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Kyrgyz Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (KyrSEFF) last week.

The awards ceremony celebrated the most successful projects in terms of energy efficiency and their contribution to the preservation of the environment, EBRD said.

Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank (KICB), Demirbank, Bank Bai-Tushum and FINCA were honored at the awards as financial partners of the program. Industrial enterprises, the city of Tokmok and other entities also were among the 32 winners.

KyrSEFF is the EBRD’s financing mechanism for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, supported by grant financing from the European Union’s (EU) Investment Facility for Central Asia (IFCA).

KyrSEFF has played an important role in the development of Kyrgyzstan’s agricultural sector. With loans and grants, KyrSEFF has supported several greenhouse projects, covering more than 20,000 square meters in the Chui, Issyk-Kul and Jalal-Abad regions.

The ceremony is the first event in Kyrgyzstan and is proof of the country’s progress in energy conservation. Thanks to the cooperation between KyrSEFF and its partner financial institutions many projects aimed at sustainable development have been successfully implemented in the country and created a great example for the local business community and population.

“KyrSEFF is the first project in Kyrgyzstan to be implemented based on blended financial resources. It combines grants and other publicly available funding sources, such as loans. KyrSEFF is an example of the harmonization of various types of financial assistance aimed at economic and social development. We hope that KyrSEFF projects will help the country achieve some of its strategic priorities in the energy sector,” Head of Operations Section of the Delegation of the EU to Kyrgyzstan Johannes Stenbaek-Madsen said.

In her remarks Head of the EBRD office in Bishkek Larisa Manastirli said by helping to improve the energy efficiency of enterprises in Kyrgyzstan, the bank and its partner financial institutions not only help to reduce carbon emissions, but also to make the economy more competitive.

During the ceremony the winners received honorary diplomas and trophies from KyrSEFF in four categories: “Best bank partner”; “Best projects in the residential and business sectors”; “Best supplier of energy-efficient materials and best installation company”; and “Best KyrSEFF partner”.

Since the beginning of its operations in Kyrgyzstan in 1992, the EBRD has invested about $637 million in the country's economy through 112 projects supporting various sectors and industries in the country.

Overall the EBRD has invested well over €13 billion into sustainable energy projects throughout its region since 2006.