CAREC developed a regional cooperation mechanism for seven Central Asian countries (Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) to facilitate integration of large-scale renewable energy into the regional energy mix.

The project examined whether the participating countries can share back-up capacity reserves to mitigate the intermittent availability of renewable energy and save costs by cooperating regionally.

The seven countries were selected because of their interconnected networks, enabling them to access back-up generators and storage capacity in neighboring countries.

Assuming a scenario in which intermittent renewable energy capacity will triple by 2030, the study found that regional cooperation will allow renewable energy integration at a cost saving of around $230 million annually by 2030 compared to a no-cooperation scenario.

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