Workshop on Regional Energy Trade in the ECO region

ECO Secretariat, Tehran, July 03, 2005

Press Release

A Workshop on Regional Energy Trade in the ECO region was convened on 29-30 June 2005, at the ECO Secretariat premises in Tehran. It was organized in cooperation with the World Bank, which also provided the required financial assistance.

The main objectives of the Workshop were as follows: bringing together main stakeholders to discuss and identify: (i) stakeholders’ interests; (ii) main barriers and opportunities for promoting energy trade in the ECO region; (iii) priority areas for further analytical work and sources of funding for this work; (iv) working arrangements and mechanism for cooperation among stake-holders; and (v) the role of government, regional organizations, international agencies, and other stakeholders in promoting energy trade. The focus of the workshop was on electricity trade.

The participants from Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan as well as the ECO Secretariat staff attended it. A four-member delegation of the World Bank (WB) as well as representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP) participated at the workshop, too.

The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. S. Shahabi, ECO Deputy Secretary General, and Mr. A. McKechnie, WB Director for Afghanistan and Regional Programs South Asia Region, who welcomed the participants and dwelt on the importance of the development of the regional energy trade, regional cooperation opportunities in this field and related policy background.

Mr. A. Iorov, Deputy Minister of Energy of Tajikistan, was elected to chair the workshop.

The participants from the member states delivered their country presentations covering their electric power industries, electric interconnections, electricity export/import opportunities and investment projects, etc.

The World Bank’s delegation made several presentations on: analysis of the electricity trade in the ECO region and a framework for advancing the regional trade agenda; WB instruments and programs in the ECO countries; outcomes of the  study on the Central Asia electricity export potential; and possible next steps for promotion of the regional energy trade. The presentations were also made by the ADB, IDB and UNESCAP representatives as well as ECO Secretariat on the topics and international experience relevant to the subject matter.

On the basis of the presentations and discussions, the workshop adopted its report, containing, inter allia, the highlights of the country presentations, international experience and discussion as well as a number of important recommendations on possible steps of pursuing the regional energy trade, further analytical work that would be needed, and data collection.

At the closure of the workshop, its participants appreciated the efforts of ECO and WB for organizing the event.

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