Almaty, 9 September 2011. The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) published a monograph titled International Cooperation and Issues of Hydropower Development in Cross-Border River Basins. The authors of the book include Vladimir Yasinsky, Alexander Mironenkov, and Tulegen Sarsembekov from the EDB Research Department, and Yuri Steklov, an international expert.
“Water is a renewable, yet limited and vulnerable resource, which is essential to both socioeconomic development and environmental security,” reads the monograph. “International practice of using water resources suggests that the development of hydropower should be in line with plans for comprehensive use and protection of cross-border watercourses based on cooperation between the river basin countries and their commitment to international law governing these issues.”
In the past forty years, global energy consumption grew by 70%. The authors of the book write that hydropower stations account for 16% of the world’s power balance.
All big rivers in Central Asia are international watercourses. The growing water deficit in cross-border river basins requires technical upgrades and advancement of water management infrastructure, as well as improvement of water usage and conservation processes in all sectors. Significant and long-term investments will be needed to this end, hence the need for legal protection and mitigation of project risks.
On the other hand, the availability of significant hydropower resources in Central Asia and the growing fuel and power deficit in certain countries call for extended investment in the development of hydropower and comprehensive water usage.
“This book is another publication from the EDB series on joint usage of water resources and cooperation between the cross-border river basin countries,” comments Vladimir Yasinsky, one of the authors and member of the EDB Executive Board. “Our joint work will definitely be useful for water management specialists and researchers, as well as for students.”
