Publication: Uzbekistan : Energy/Power Sector Issues Note
Loading...
Date
2013-06
ISSN
Published
2013-06
Editor(s)
Abstract
This note focuses on the energy and power sector in Uzbekistan with the purpose of identifying some of the key issues faced by the sector and outlining potential solutions. In particular, the note aims to inform the Government thinking by providing input on priorities in the sector. The note also outlines potential solutions the Government may want to consider to address the identified challenges in the short and longer time and highlights the areas where the Government can start acting immediately. The analysis is based on the information and data provided by the Government during preparation of the Bank's investment lending operations, other analytical work as well as data/information collected from public sources. The note is structured as follows: section one discusses the importance of the energy sector to the economy and provides an overview of the sector. Section two provides a more detailed overview of the power sector. Section three identifies the principal challenges in the power sector. Section four proposes potential solutions to address these challenges. Finally, section five outlines a potential role for the World Bank in supporting the Government to address power sector challenges.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Kochnakyan, Artur; Khosla, Sunil Kumar; Buranov, Iskander; Hofer, Kathrin; Hankinson, Denzel; Finn, Joshua. 2013. Uzbekistan : Energy/Power Sector Issues Note. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17596 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Lights out? The Outlook for Energy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia(World Bank, 2010)Before the current economic crisis hit the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region in 2008, energy security was a major source of concern in Central and Eastern Europe and in many of the economies in the former Soviet Union. Energy importers were experiencing shortages leading to periodic brownouts and blackouts. An energy crisis seemed imminent. This report analyzes the outlook for energy demand and supply in the region. It estimates the investment requirements and highlights the potential environmental concerns associated with meeting future energy needs, including those related to climate change. The report also proposes the actions necessary to create an attractive environment for investment in cleaner energy. Greater regional cooperation for smart energy and climate action is an important part of the World Bank's engagement in Europe and Central Asia.Publication Tapping the Potential for Energy Savings in Turkey(Washington, DC, 2010-12)This report, Tapping the Potential for Energy Savings in Turkey, focuses on sector and analytical work to assess demand-side energy efficiency measures that require specific attention in Turkey. The report provides recommendations on potential government strategies to promote energy efficiency and to scale up investments. The report concludes that the Government now needs to be focused on creating the enabling environment to develop an energy efficiency market and incentives as well as rules and standards for private sector capital and technical capacity to prioritize energy efficiency. National and sector targets for energy savings may be set to clarify the Government's intent to improve energy efficiency. Specific actions and policy recommendations are addressed.Publication How Much Could South Asia Benefit from Regional Electricity Cooperation and Trade?(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-06)The South Asia region is lagging behind many regions in the world in regional electricity cooperation and trading, despite the huge anticipated benefits. This study uses an electricity planning model that produces optimal expansion of electricity generation capacities and transmission interconnections in the long-term to quantify the benefits of unrestricted cross-border electricity trade in the South Asia during 2015–40. The study finds that the unrestricted electricity trade provision would save US$226 billion (US$9 billion per year) of electricity supply costs over the period. The ratio of the present value of benefits, in the form of reduction of fuel costs, to the present value of increased costs due to generation and interconnection would be 5.3. The provision would reduce regional power sector carbon dioxide emissions by 8 percent, mainly because of substitution of coal-based generation with hydro-based generation, although regional emissions would be well above current levels absent other policy interventions. To achieve these benefits, the region is estimated to add 95,000 megawatts of new cross-border transmission interconnection capacity.Publication Development of Low-Carbon Energy Supply System in Romania(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-06)Despite the declining trends in total energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, energy intensity, and emission intensity over the past two decades, Romania still emits more greenhouse gas per unit of output than many other members of the European Union. The country is looking for further greening of its energy supply system to achieve the clean energy and climate change mitigation goals included in the European Unions 2030 target and 2050 Roadmap. Using an energy supply optimization model, TIMES, this study develops energy supply mixes for Romania under a baseline scenario that satisfies the European Unions current energy and climate targets for 2020, a green scenario that satisfies the European Unions 2030 energy and climate targets, and a super green scenario that satisfies the European Unions prospective 2050 energy road map. The study finds that although Romania could achieve the green scenario at a moderate cost, it would be challenging and costly to achieve the super green scenario.Publication Vietnam Power Sector : Generation Options(Washington, DC, 2009-12-29)This report discusses the energy sector in Vietnam. The central task for the energy sector is to meet demands for electricity in sufficient quantity and of an acceptable quality, in as commercially and financially efficient a way as possible. Several issues arise if this task is to be accomplished in the short and medium term. They are: optimizing power investments; financing the investments that must be made; implementing the reforms in the power industry and restructuring EVN; improving access and service quality; and addressing shortcomings in pricing and tariffs. This study discusses the first of these issues, though inevitably there is some overlap. The study has four specific objectives: (1) to inform decisions about technology choices; (2) to inform decisions on energy and energy sector policy; (3) to inform the energy sector planning process; and (4) to inform the internal discussion within the Bank on how Vietnam's energy sector development can be assisted.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Vietnam(World Bank, Hanoi, 2020-05-01)Following from Vietnam’s ratification of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in late 2018 and its effectiveness from January 2019, and the European Parliament’s recent approval of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and its subsequent planned ratification by the National Assembly in May 2020, Vietnam has further demonstrated its determination to be a modern, competitive, open economy. As the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) crisis has clearly shown, diversified markets and supply chains will be key in the future global context to managing the risk of disruptions in trade and in supply chains due to changing trade relationships, climate change, natural disasters, and disease outbreaks. In those regards, Vietnam is in a stronger position than most countries in the region. The benefits of globalization are increasingly being debated and questioned. However, in the case of Vietnam, the benefits have been clear in terms of high and consistent economic growth and a large reduction in poverty levels. As Vietnam moves to ratify and implement a new generation of free trade agreements (FTAs), such as the CPTPP and EVFTA, it is important to clearly demonstrate, in a transparent manner, the economic gains and distributional impacts (such as sectoral and poverty) from joining these FTAs. In the meantime, it is crucial to highlight the legal gaps that must be addressed to ensure that national laws and regulations are in compliance with Vietnam’s obligations under these FTAs. Readiness to implement this new generation of FTAs at both the national and subnational level is important to ensure that the country maximizes the full economic benefits in terms of trade and investment. This report explores the issues of globalization and the integration of Vietnam into the global economy, particularly through implementation of the EVFTA.Publication Korea : The Korean Pension System at a Crossroads(Washington, DC, 2000-05-10)Old age income security in Korea is at a crossroads. The traditional system of family support is giving way to formal retirement savings--most of it mandated by government. Government employees and private school teachers are obliged to participate in special occupational schemes that operate on a pay-as-you-go basis while private sector workers must contribute to the partially funded National Pension Scheme (NPS). Employers must provide retirement allowances, a retirement cum severance payment program whose obligations are largely unfunded. These schemes have evolved over several decades and are not based on clear targets for the level of mandated retirement income or sustainable payroll tax burdens. They currently pay benefits to a minority of older Koreans. This means that over the next few years only social assistance programs will have a significant impact on the incomes of the current elderly poor. This report presents several alternative reform options. These include reforms to some elements of the existing system as well as an integrated or systemic reform option. The proposed reform allows younger workers to opt out of the earnings-related portion of the NPS. The combination of a mandatory private pension scheme--which would replace retirement allowances--and a reduced public pension scheme would result in a reasonable replacement rate target. New entrants would be obliged to join this system while older workers would continue to be covered by the current scheme.Publication Sovereign Wealth Funds in East Asia(Washington, DC, 2008-06-30)The massive size, rapid growth, and high-profile investments of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) in the U.S. and elsewhere in 2007 has attracted the attention of the media, politicians, regulators, and academics over the past year. Some of the SWF investments have been viewed as market stabilizing, for instance the substantial equity investments in large U.S. financial institutions that were recently in financial trouble after the sub-prime mortgage crisis. However, there is great suspicion from many political and academic quarters that SWFs are politically motivated with many SWFs in Asia now at the center of the storm. Although SWFs have been in existence for many decades worldwide, most SWFs in the East Asia and Pacific Region (EAP) are relatively new. The emergence of the SWFs in Asia is largely a by-product of the strong economic development at East Asian countries and the attendant accumulation of foreign exchange reserves, however, there are other types of SWFs in the region. The Governments have taken a concerted strategy to enhance the returns on these excess reserves. The EAP region is an ideal region to take a look at the issues surrounding SWFs since Asia has the full range of funds from long-established funds to brand new funds; from passive portfolio investors to more aggressive strategic investors; from resource-backed funds to foreign reserve-backed funds; and, based in the largest, most highly developed economies to the smallest, poorest economies in Asia. Therefore, the objective of this report is to document the status of Sovereign Wealth Funds in the East Asia Region and to understand the implications of their rapid growth. Many developing countries have recently shifted a higher proportion of their foreign currency earnings from official foreign currency reserves to sovereign wealth funds. Sovereign wealth funds have an estimated $600 billion in assets under management in developing countries, dominated by China ($200 billion held by the Chinese Investment Corporation and $68 billion held by the Central Huijin Investment Company) and Russia ($130 billion held in the Reserve Fund and $33 billion held by the Fund of Future Generations). It should be noted that this amount is small relative to the total level of reserves held by developing countries (estimated at $3.7 trillion at end 2007).Publication Thailand's Growth Path : From Recovery to Prosperity(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-05)Thailand is one of the most successful developing countries. After decades of rapid growth, the economy rebounded quickly from the 1997-98 Asian crisis and is set to continue its expansion into the future. Nevertheless, there are doubts about the resilience of the Thai economy. The country appears to be on a lower growth projectory now than before the crisis. What growth can Thailand realistically expect? And what can the government do to sustain such growth into the future? Using a new methodology for identifying binding constraints to growth (Rodrik 2004 and Hausmann and others 2005), the author argues that Thailand's challenge is to maintain growth levels of 4 to 5 percent over the medium term. To achieve this goal, Thailand needs to continue its efforts of improving business infrastructure, trade integration, and skills, as well as intensifying its governance reforms.Publication Entrepreneurship Education and Training Programs around the World : Dimensions for Success(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014-04-23)Entrepreneurship has attracted global interest for its potential to catalyze economic and social development. Research suggesting that certain entrepreneurial mindsets and skills can be learned has given rise to the field of entrepreneurship education and training (EET). Despite the growth of EET, global knowledge about these programs and their impact remains thin. In response, this study surveys the available literature and program evaluations to propose a Conceptual Framework for understanding the EET program landscape. The study finds that EET today consists of a heterogeneous mix of programs that can be broken into two groups: entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurship training. These programs target a range of participants: secondary and post-secondary education students, as well as potential and practicing entrepreneurs. The outcomes measured by program evaluations are equally diverse but generally fall under the domains of entrepreneurial mindsets and capabilities, entrepreneurial status, and entrepreneurial performance. The dimensions of EET programs vary according the particular target group. Programs targeting secondary education students focus on the development of foundational skills linked to entrepreneurship, while post-secondary education programs emphasize skills related to strategic business planning. Programs targeting potential entrepreneurs generally are embedded within broader support programs and tend to target vulnerable populations for whom employment alternatives may be limited. While programs serving practicing entrepreneurs focus on strengthening entrepreneurs’ knowledge, skills and business practices, which while unlikely to transform an enterprise in the near term, may accrue benefits to entrepreneurs over time. The study also offers implications for policy and program implementation, emphasizing the importance of clarity about target groups and desired outcomes when making program choices, and sound understanding of extent to which publicly-supported programs offer a broader public good, and compare favorably to policy alternatives for supporting the targeted individuals as well as the overall economic and social objectives.