MINSK, December 7, 2006 — A workshop was held in Minsk to discuss key institutional and financial drivers for decentralized power generation in Belarus and to present a draft strategy for removal of the existing institutional barriers to private sector involvement in a small-scale energy production.

The workshop brought together local and international experts, representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Economy, Finance, Forestry, Housing and Utilities, Energy, Council of Ministers, private sector, academia, the UNDP, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders.

The event was organized under a project, which has been implemented since 2005 by the Department on Energy Efficiency of Belarus Standardization Committee with support from the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility of the World Bank. The project intends to analyze the current conditions for decentralized energy generation in Belarus and to promote private participation in this activity.

The core study for the project is being developed by a consultancy group constituted by Mercados Energeticos (Spain), Ramboll (Denmark), and Energopro (Belarus), with participation of highly renowned Belarusian technicians.

Workshop agenda