Tag Archives: electricity

GE signs deals for Kazakh turbines

SEPT. 27 (The Conway Bulletin) – The US’ GE signed a deal to sell 12 wind turbines to ENI’s 48MW wind farm in Badamsha in north-east Kazakhstan for an undisclosed amount. Kazakhstan has commissioned several wind farms across the country as it looks to hit green energy targets. The Badamsha project is expected to be the first operational wind farm in Kazakhstan when it starts producing power by the end of 2019.
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>>This story was published in issue 387 of The Conway Bulletin on Oct. 1 2018

Close nuclear power station, EU tells Armenia

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JAN. 30 (The Conway Bulletin) – The European Union has once again told Armenia that it needs to close its nuclear power station at Metsamor. The power station has become a major source of friction between the EU, which says it is an environmental risk, and Russia, which has lobbied to keep it open. It lies in an earthquake zone but still provides Armenia with 40% of its power as well as giving it a valuable export commodity.

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>>This story was first published in issue 360 of The Conway Bulletin

Tajikistan’s Rogun dam could open in November

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FEB. 1 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tajikistan’s $4b Rogun dam could be opened on Nov. 16, a national holiday to mark the birthday of Pres. Emomali Rakhmon, state media reported. Rogun dam will be the highest dam in the world when it does open and is considered vital for improving Tajikistan’s electricity production. Italy’s Salini Impregilo is the main contractor for the project.

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>>This story was first published in issue 360 of The Conway Bulletin

Kazatomprom sells off stake in US nuclear company

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DEC. 25 (The Conway Bulletin) — Japan’s Toshiba Corporation bought back a 10% stake in the bankrupt US nuclear power station builder Westinghouse Electric for $522m from the Kazakh nuclear agency Kazatomptom. Kazatomprom had bought the stake in 2007 for $540m. A put option in the contract meant that, although Westinghouse had been declared bankrupt in March 2017, Toshiba was forced to buy back the stake from Kazatomprom for a fixed price. Kazatomprom is the world’s biggest uranium producer. The state-owned company is preparing an IPO in 2018.

— This story was first published on Jan. 5 2018 in issue 356 of The Conway Bulletin

Chinese company to build wind farm in Kazakhstan

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DEC. 27 (The Conway Bulletin) — China’s Goldwind Science and Technology has won an order to build a wind power plant in Kazakhstan, it said. The 5MW plant will be built near Almaty and shows both Kazakhstan’s drive to develop green energy and also the increasing influence of China on the region’s commerce. The contract was given to Goldwind Science by China’s CITIC, the main contractor for the wind power plant. CITIC is a major constructor in Kazakhstan.

— This story was first published on Jan. 5 2018 in issue 356 of The Conway Bulletin

Russia is looking at funding Kyrgyz hydro projects once again

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DEC. 22 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russia is, apparently, looking at potentially funding hydropower projects in Kyrgyzstan two years after it pulled out of a $700m deal to finance the development of the Kambar-Ata-1 hydropower station and four smaller projects along the Upper Naryn River. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted Russian deputy PM Arkady Dvorkovich as hinting that Russia was looking again at potential projects. Kyrgyzstan has not found an alternative funder for the Upper Naryn river projects since Russia pulled out.

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— This story was first published on Jan. 5 2018 in issue 356 of The Conway Bulletin

Uzbekistan talks to Russia’s Rosatom on developing nuclear power

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DEC. 29 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan is in talks with Russia’s Rosatom to commission building two new nuclear power stations, media reported. Uzbekistan currently relies primarily on gas-fired power stations for its electricity. It is still some way off commissioning a nuclear power station but it has signed various memorandums of understanding with Russia on nuclear power. Relations between Russia and Uzbekistan have improved after Shavkat Mirziyoyev took over as president in 2016.

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— This story was first published on Jan. 5 2018 in issue 356 of The Conway Bulletin

Turkmenistan briefly cuts power to Afghanistan

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JAN 2 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan cut power supplies to northern Afghanistan for two days after, media has reported, the Afghan authorities refused to pay an increased fee for electricity. Power supplies were renewed after Turkmenistan agreed to delay price increases by a month. Turkmenistan’s economy has been hit hard by a drop in energy prices since 2014.

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— This story was first published on Jan. 5 2018 in issue 356 of The Conway Bulletin

Georgia to raise electricity prices

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TBILISI, JAN 1 (The Conway Bulletin) — Electricity prices, a touchy issue in the South Caucasus, are due to rise again in Georgia, media reported.

The Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulation Commission (GNERC) approved the rise, asked for by power supply companies Telasi and EnergoPro Georgia, because of the cost of infrastructure upgrades.

The rise will be the second increase in electricity prices in Georgia in the past 2-1/2 years. One of the election promises of the ruling Georgian Dream coalition government in 2012, when it was voted into power, was to cut electricity prices.

From the start of the year, Tbilisi residents will now pay 1.56 tetris more per unit of electricity. In August 2015 the price was increased by 3 tetris.

In 2015, proposed electricity price rises in neighbouring Armenia triggered street protests that lasted weeks until the rises were dropped.

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— This story was first published on Jan. 5 2018 in issue 356 of The Conway Bulletin

Kyrgyz-Czech hydropower project deal is scrapped

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SEPT. 18 (The Bulletin) — A deal lauded by Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev only three months ago as proof that Kyrgyzstan can attract major foreign direct investment has been scrapped. Kyrgyz PM Sapar Isakov announced the deal was dead after it became clear that Liglass, the Czech company, had no way of paying $37m to Russia by mid-September to takeover construction of the major Upper Naryn Cascade hydropower project.

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— This story was first published in issue 344 of The Conway Bulletin, now called the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Sept. 24 2017.