DUSHANBE, August 20, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- An international roundtable meeting to discuss problems of energy efficiency and rational use of energy resources has been held in Dushanbe today.

Staged by the Tajikistan’s ministries of foreign affairs and energy under support of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, the meeting brought together experts and researchers from Central Asia’s states and Russia.

Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Anatoly Kholmatov, national consultant of UNDP CO Tajikistan, noted that the energy savings subject covers a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from filling up chinks in residential buildings to significant international issues related to transmission of electrical power and other types of energy resources.

According to him, there ought not to hope for the region''s hydrocarbon reserves because they will be over sooner or later.  Kholmatov stressed that the future of the Central Asian region is connected with hydropower engineering.

“The region’s hydropower potential, which is economically efficient and now technically assessable, is estimated at more than 400 billion kWh per annum and Tajikistan accounts for 317 billion kWh of this amount, “ said Kholmatov, “However, at present the region is using only 10 percent of thee reserves and Tajikistan is using only five percent of its hydropower potential.”

He noted that present level of water-and-energy cooperation between Central Asia’s states leaves much to be desired.  Kholmatov said that the countries of the region could solve all water-and-energy problems only through dialogue, clearing up their positions, continuation of cooperation that had been between them in the Soviet time, reaching mutually acceptable compromise, concluding agreements and efficiently fulfilling their obligations on those agreements.

The meeting is concluding today evening and its participants are expected to adopt a resulting document.