Energy audits for a green future of Tajikistan

Energy plays a key role in economic development of Tajikistan. The share of energy costs in the total volume of the GDP amounts to 60%. At the same time, due to the lack of its own resources in wintertime, Tajikistan has to import expensive fuel from other countries in order to cover 70% of its energy demand.

Among its national priorities, Tajikistan attempts to fully implement its national Law on energy conservation and energy efficiency, which was adopted in 2013. As per this law, such actions as conduction of energy efficiency audits and usage of international expertise and approaches are envisaged.

The Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) represent a significant share in end-use energy consumption. However, actions to improve energy efficiency vary from simple, low–cost measures to more expensive and technically more complex investments, as mostly know as passive energy efficiency measures, often not affordable without financial support offered by the Government or other institutions. But mostly also hidden and not well considered are also active energy efficiency measures where energy and water usage is lowered while changing the behaviour of the users, the operation of equipment or raising the energy management in each SME.

So, we conducted energy audits of 7 SME’s in the Sughd region of the Republic of Tajikistan, mainly in and around Khujand. The energy audits were short preliminary energy audits (considered rapid energy audit or walkthrough audit with a one-man day walk-through and a second day analysis) with the aim to provide support to SMEs in areas of capacity building, improving the production capacity and consultancy. All 7 SMEs are completely different companies. The report is set so it can be replicated to similar companies, as also the measures, the guidelines and the methodology is structured so it can be replicated and scaled-up to different applications. The report “Energy auditing, green solutions and innovative micro financing energy efficiency measures in SMEs in Tajikistan” was presented on the conference of “Green Economy” in Tajikistan in 2016.