DUSHANBE, September 27, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- On Friday September 26, , Representatives of national energy companies from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan discussed a new Central Asian regional energy transmission planning model, developed with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

According to the US Embassy in Dushanbe, the meeting took place in Astana, Kazakhstan and was hosted by the USAID Central Asian Regional Transmission Planning Project (CARTRANS), implemented by the US Energy Association.

The meeting participants included senior representatives from the Kazakhstan Electric Grid Operating Company (KEGOC), the National Electric Grid of Kyrgyzstan, Barqi Tojik of Tajikistan, Uzbekenergo, and the region''s Coordinative Dispatch Center "Energia," as well as officials from the Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water. While the current model only includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the participants are hoping that Turkmenistan will also join it in the nearest future.

The new Central Asian electric energy transmission model will enable the Central Asian countries to better plan and manage energy flows within and between the countries in the region.  Central Asia''s energy transmission system includes national electric power systems on Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, as well as the southern part of Kazakhstan.  This system, built during the soviet period, presumes interdependency of the countries, and requires joint planning for optimal flows of energy within each country.  

 The regional energy transmission model will provide Central Asia''s energy planners information about the transmission capacities in each section of the system and enable more accurate and efficient planning for generation of electricity.  This in turn will enable the four countries to optimize the amounts of transmitted energy and decrease energy shutdowns.

A the first step in this process, USAID provided specialized software and helped Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek national energy companies develop country-specific models for their national electricity transmission systems.

The regional Coordinative Dispatch Center "Energia," as well as Afghanistan and Turkmenistan energy transmission companies provided their inputs in this process as well. The national models then were joined into a regional model.  The meeting participants discussed the communication and information exchange mechanisms to ensure that this model functions effectively.