EBRD loan and grants from central and local governments will help improve drinking water, cut waste
The EBRD and the government of Kazakhstan are continuing to support water and wastewater modernisation in the country with a financing package to upgrade the water supply in Taraz, a city of over 300,000 people and a provincial capital of the Jambyl region in the south of Kazakhstan. The project will also be supported by the city.
The EBRD will lend 1.05 billion tenge (€3.2 million equivalent) which will enable the municipal water and wastewater company SCE Taraz Su to modernise the water systems in the city to make them more energy efficient and reduce water losses.
The government of Kazakhstan is providing an investment grant of up to 945 million tenge (€2.9 million equivalent) and the local government – the city of Taraz – is extending a grant of up to 105 million tenge (up to €320,000 equivalent).
The project will be carried out under the umbrella of the Enhanced Partnership Arrangement between the EBRD and the government of Kazakhstan. Under that agreement, the government and the Bank are joining forces to modernise municipal and environmental infrastructure across the country.
The regional authorities – the oblast and city akimats –also intend to sign a project support agreement to facilitate the municipal company’s corporate reform plan, which is part of the EBRD-financed project. The company will aim to improve cost recovery for its services, promote water meters, improve internal audits and introduce an environmental and social action plan.
Janet Heckman, EBRD Director for Kazakhstan, said: “The EBRD and the government of Kazakhstan support a range of public utilities, from district heating to transport, in over 10 regions but we believe water and wastewater modernisation, which directly benefit the lives of citizens, are of special importance.”
To date, the EBRD has invested over US$ 7 billion in Kazakhstan’s economy. In 2015 the EBRD is planning to invest close to US$ 1 billion in various sectors, with a focus on diversification.