Qishloq Ovozi (Archive)

It’s strange to write an article I know I’m about to somewhat contradict just a few articles down the line.

But the dream of the governor of Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl Province is worth noting because even if it’s ambitious, it’s possible. Governor Karim Kokrekbaev is quoted in a January 22 report from Kazinform as predicting that one day in the not-so-distant future, 40 percent of the power needs in his province will be provided for by "green" energy sources.

OK. If you’ve been reading reports about Kazakhstan in the mainstream press, you’re thinking, "So what? The country is six times the size of France and only has around 17 million people. How difficult can it be to provide 40 percent of the power requirements to one of 14 provinces in such a huge and sparsely populated country, using green, or renewable, power sources?"

My response is: No one in Central Asia has done it so far, so let’s consider Governor Kokrekbaev’s vision for a moment.

First, it’s important to mention that the governor’s dream is actually part of a national program under way in Kazakhstan to develop "green" or "renewable" energy sources, and many provinces in this country -- known more for its oil production -- are implementing the green plan. Governor Kokrekbaev just seems to be thinking a bit bigger than the others.

There are more than 1 million people living in Zhambyl Province. Kokrekbaev says the provincial leaders are planning to boost electricity output in his province by some 180 megawatts.

Kokrekbaev said the Korday Wind Farm-21 project was due to start operating this year with an initial capability of some 4 megawatts but increasing within the next two years to some 21 megawatts.

Other items on the list of green projects is construction of wind farms capable of generating some 100 megawatts; a solar power plant with a capacity of 24 megawatts; and the Merken cascade hydropower project, which will add another 19.8 megawatts to the province’s electricity output.

And Kokrekbaev noted the Otrar solar power plant, which the governor emphasized was the first solar plant built in Central Asia, is already contributing 504 kilowatts, and the first wind farm built in Kazakhstan, in Zhambyl Province’s Korday Gorge, is producing some 1.5 megawatts. As for hydropower plants (HPP) already operating, the governor said the small HPP at the Tasotkel Reservoir is generating some 9.2 megawatts, the Merken HPP some 1.5 megawatts, and the Karakystak HPP some 2.3 megawatts.

The figures add up to about 180 megawatts. But is that a lot of electricity, enough to supply 40 percent of the electricity needs for a population of some 1 million?

I turned to someone who knows about these sorts of things: Richard Lockhart, senior editor at "Energo Weekly," a product of Scotland-based NewsBase Limited and a publication that deals with alternative energy resources. Lockhart cautioned about variables in such equations but he said generally that would be enough to supply a British town of some 250,000 people -- possibly only 150,000 -- if some of the power were diverted to industry.

I’ve been through the Zhambyl area a few times. It is probably fair to assume the average British household has at least twice as many electrical appliances, gadgets, and devices as the average household in Zhambyl Province and so uses at least twice the power. That lends some credence to Governor Kokrekbaev’s prediction that wind, solar, and hydropower can indeed supply some 40 percent of electricity needs in his province.

Good luck, Governor!

Coming soon, a look at the dirtier side of power generation in Central Asia in "Welcome to the Age of Coal."

-- Bruce Pannier

Students in Uzbekistan's western Khorazm Province must meet a new requirement this year -- helping to keep their schools heated.

Parents have already been asked to pay for the stoves used to heat classrooms and now, on a rotating basis, their children are bringing dried twigs and branches along with their schoolbooks.

RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, Radio Ozodlik, first heard the story via School #5 in the Shavot district.

Upon investigating a bit further, however, Ozodlik was able to determine that the situation at School #5 was typical of the situation at many schools in the Khorazm Province. (NOTE: Given the nature of Uzbekistan’s regime and of the topic, which could be seen to reflect badly on Uzbek government policy, none of the people who spoke with Ozodlik wished to be identified.)

Ozodlik spoke with parents of some of the children. They claimed they were asked to pay 20,000 soms (about $12) as a contribution toward the school stove and its fuel. But it did not end there. Every day, one child from each class is assigned to bring in two bundles of dried-up stalks from the last cotton crop. (It’s quite possible some of these children actually picked the cotton from the now desiccated plants -- see RFE/RL's reporting on forced labor in the cotton fields.).

As is true of so many things in Uzbekistan, exemptions are possible.

Parents said a child could be exempted from "wood gathering" upon paying another 20,000 soms.

Although parents are paying for the stove and fuel with their initial 20,000-som payment, the branches and twigs are not the main fuel for the stoves, only the material to ignite the coal.

Officials at various schools around Khorazm confirmed the existence of the stoves, but gave conflicting answers when asked who paid for them.

Some were willing to admit that parents had been urged, on orders from above, to contribute to the cost of the stoves; others said the stoves were provided by the state.

The provincial education administration denied any parents were being asked for money for the stoves or coal.

Curiously, one official said the switch to coal-burning stoves was necessary due to cut-offs in natural gas and that stoves had been installed in about 40 percent of the province’s schools.

The official did not say what happened in the remaining 60 percent of schools.

-- Bruce Pannier, with contributions from Alisher Sidikov of RFE/RL's Uzbek Service