IHA Sustainability (IHAS) and the Pamir Energy have partnered to launch a long-term initiative to promote the development of sustainable hydropower in Tajikistan and Central Asia. The capacity building programme is funded by the Department for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Through a series of online training and self-assessments, the programme is designed to support authorities, investors and developers to implement international good practices in hydropower development using the Hydropower Sustainability Tools.

Hydropower in Tajikistan

Hydropower supplies nearly 100 per cent of Tajikistan’s electricity, which is used for both domestic supply and export. Achieving energy independence by 2030 is one of Tajikistan’s priority policy objectives. The Ministry of Energy and Water Resources is targeting an increase in total generating capacity to 10 GW by 2030, doubling from the current 5.7 GW.

Tajikistan’s hydropower potential is ranked eighth in the world, three times higher than the current electricity consumption throughout Central Asia. If developed effectively and sustainably, this potential will allow the region to be provided with inexpensive and green power.

Faced with increasing climatic and hydrological variability, Tajikistan may be at risk and needs to ensure the long-term viability of its energy generation. Strengthening local institutional capacity in sustainable hydropower and climate change resilience is key to future proof Tajikistan’s energy sector.

Capacity building in sustainability

Hydropower projects allow us to benefit from a renewable source of electricity that can boost socio-economic development. However, as such projects inevitably impact the environment and communities in which they are built, it is crucial to identify and manage these impacts in line with good international practices.

Many developing countries lack the institutional capacity and in-house resources to ensure that hydropower projects are developed and managed responsibly and sustainably, and deliver benefits locally and regionally. These may lead to inadequate management of environmental and social aspects, thus stinting positive development outcomes and dividing local communities over the merits of hydropower.

Our capacity building programmes aim to fill this gap by strengthening institutional capacity within local regulators, developers and project owners, as well as promoting the long-term viability of project benefits.

Background

In September 2020, IHAS and Pamir Energy signed a cooperation agreement to incorporate sustainability principles in the design, planning and operation of hydropower projects in Tajikistan and Central Asia. The programme aims to improve understanding and ownership of sustainable good practice in the region through the application of the Hydropower Sustainability Tools.

The programme will be delivered through a series of sustainability trainings, technical workshops and self-assessments. Participants will include local stakeholders from the public sector and regional development institutions, project developers and operators, as well as civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations involved in hydropower development, from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

Starting in 2022, the programme will allow participants to become proficient in the use of the Hydropower Sustainability Tools through the following activities:

  • Certified User Training on sustainability performance measurement using the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) and the Hydropower Sustainability ESG Gap Analysis Tool (HESG)

  • Training on international good practices

  • Assisted project assessment using HESG

  • Technical workshops

The outcome of the programme is for hydropower in Tajikistan and Central Asia to be planned and developed more sustainably, and to provide a common language for key decision-makers, communities and NGOs to discuss sustainability issues in the region.

Further information

Learn more about our other capacity building programmes

Learn more about Tajikistan’s hydropower potential

Learn more about Switzerland’s development projects in Tajikistan

Contact us

For any enquiries on this initiative and training opportunities, please contact us at sustainability@hydropower.org