CAREC Institute Presents at the China-Central Asia Green and Low-Carbon Development Action Conference

The China-Central Asia Green and Low-Carbon Development Action Conference was successfully held on October 18, 2024, in Beijing. Hosted in a hybrid format by the Foreign Cooperation and Exchange Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China, the conference aimed to further the commitments established during the 2023 China-Central Asia Summit. It marked the initiation of the China-Central Asia Green and Low-Carbon Development Action, a strategic initiative focused on enhancing regional collaboration in green development and climate change mitigation.

The event brought together approximately 80 participants from both China and Central Asian countries, including representatives from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as international organizations such as the CAREC Institute, the China-Central Asia Mechanism Secretariat, UNIDO, and the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization. In addition, Chinese government officials and experts from various local environmental agencies and research institutions actively contributed to the discussions.

Dr. Vladislav Zavadskiy, Senior Research Specialist at the CAREC Institute, delivered a presentation titled Supporting Electricity Storage Systems as Key to Green Energy Transition: A Central Asia Perspective. In his remarks, Dr. Zavadskiy highlighted the critical role of energy storage systems in facilitating Central Asia’s transition to green energy. He pointed out that while the variable generation of renewable energy poses challenges for large-scale implementation, energy storage solutions—underpinned by interregional cooperation and investment—can effectively address these issues. He also shared insights on ongoing pilot projects in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which serve as promising examples of the region’s green energy ambitions.

The conference reaffirmed the importance of strong regional cooperation, backed by research, knowledge-sharing, and policy frameworks that promote private sector involvement and foreign investment in renewable energy technologies, particularly energy storage. Participants concurred those continued efforts in policy alignment, technology exchange, and shared best practices are essential to achieving the green development goals set out during the China-Central Asia Summit.