Kazakhstan’s largest municipality to benefit from EBRD Green Cities programme

Kazakhstan’s largest municipality to benefit from EBRD Green Cities programme

(IN BRIEF) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided a KZT 4.1 billion (€8.5 million) loan to the Regional Center of Public-Private Partnership of the East Kazakhstan region, which will allow the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk to upgrade its street lighting and install 6,000 energy-efficient LED street lights. The project is part of the Ust-Kamenogorsk Green City Action Plan, which will help reduce CO2 and other harmful emissions and improve air quality in the city. The EBRD has invested almost €10 billion in Kazakhstan through 304 projects, making it the bank’s largest and longest-running banking operation in Central Asia.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 11-Mar-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is rolling out its Green Cities programme in Kazakhstan by financing street lighting improvements in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk (Oskemen), the largest municipality in the east of the country.

A senior 10-year loan of KZT 4.1 billion (€8.5 million) will be provided to the Regional Center of Public-Private Partnership of the East Kazakhstan region, which is responsible for the preparation of public-private partnerships in the region. It will allow the upgrade of the street lighting system in Ust-Kamenogorsk to be completed and an additional 6,000 energy-efficient LED street lights along 150 city streets to be installed.

This is one of the first projects under the Ust-Kamenogorsk Green City Action Plan (GCAP) – a crucial tool that is helping the municipality set out its sustainable development vision and strategic objectives, as well as the actions and investments required to address high-priority environmental issues. The GCAP, jointly developed by the EBRD and the city, will help, among other things, reduce CO₂ and other harmful emissions and improve air quality in the city.

The city of Ust-Kamenogorsk and the Bank have been working on upgrading the city’s street lighting since 2017. Joint efforts have already allowed over 22,000 spotlights to be replaced, more than 400 electric cabinets to be installed and over 340 km of electric cables to be laid. These improvements have contributed to electricity savings, a more efficient operating company and a significant reduction in traffic accidents and crime in the city.

Technical assistance for the project preparation was provided by the Taiwan Business-EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund.

With almost €10 billion invested in the country to date through 304 projects, Kazakhstan is the EBRD’s largest and longest-running banking operation in Central Asia.

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SOURCE: EBRD