Energy saving technologies to help economy

ASTANA. April 29. KAZINFORM /Muratbek Makulbekov/ – The Message of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to the people of Kazakhstan entitled «Through Crisis to Renovation and Development» states the urgency to determine the future ways of post-recession development.

«In this global recession and the hardship that we are living through today, we should not focus on the current problems only. Our future depends on the further economic modernization and development of the basic infrastructure», - says the Message. Energy conservation is one of the foremost directions of economic modernization and competitive growth of Kazakhstan. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Sauat Mynbayev told about the new approaches towards the energy saving problem in an interview to Kazinform. ? Mr. Mynbayev, the necessity to perform economy makeover by means of introduction of energy conservation technologies has been discussed a lot during the last years. President Nursultan Nazarbayev has also given certain instructions in his Message in 2008 urging to focus efforts on introduction of energy saving and environmentally friendly technologies. How are these commissions of the President being brought into action? ? Development and introduction of energy saving technologies in various industries has really become the major factor of industrial progress of many countries. Energy saving technologies must be primarily targeted to reduction of energy output ratio in a commodity product and in the entire GDP of the country, and eventually lead to a competitive growth of our products. The President assigned to design an effective mechanism to encourage this process and create certain administrative, legal and economic levers which will have domestic commodity producers switch to energy conservation technologies. Such mechanism is being created at the moment. The standards of energy consumption per production unit have been designed and approved by the Government. In February 2009 the Government adopted the 1st stage of the Complex Energy Conservation Plan for 2009-2010 which envisages drawing-up of branch and regional plans and activities of energy conservation, introduction of standards and methods of energy consumption accounting, and energy audit of businesses and organizations. To ensure perfect work on energy conservation it is important to set up energy service and consulting companies in regions. ? Does Kazakhstan have a legislative framework for introduction of energy saving technologies? ? For the purpose of legislative consolidation of the initiated measures, the new edition of the Energy Conservation Law is in the phase of completion now, and a bill on amendments and additions to some other legislative acts is being designed. Also such concept as ?energy efficiency? of facilities and equipment is being introduced. We have elaborated addendums to the Tax and Customs Codes and the Laws «On Architecture, Urban Planning and Civil Construction in the Republic of Kazakhstan», «On Private Entrepreneurship», «On Licensing». All these amendments to the legislation are called to speed up the work at all levels. ? It is probable that solely legislative requirements will be insufficient. Worn-out equipment is used operated throughout the country. How will this problem be solved? ? Equipment upgrade and introduction of energy saving technologies in industry, agriculture, transport, engineering, construction and housing maintenance and utilities is a stand-alone subject. Businesses and organizations are required to have business plans of gradual replacement of worn-out equipment, and establish energy metering and energy consumption control systems. ? What other ways of reducing energy consumption will be used? ? We think that a complex tariff system will be an effective stimulus of reasonable energy consumption. ?Day? and ?night? principle of energy consumption has been introduced in Astana and Almaty. Once introduced and successfully implemented, these measures will give a positive effect and reduce the energy output ratio.