EBP – Uzbekistan

Swiss Partners

Ernst Basler + Partner AG, Zollikon,
www.ebp.ch, Hans-Christian Angele;

Arbi Ltd., Baar,
Werner Edelmann

Project Type:

Pilot project

Technology:

Biomass

Country:

Uzbekistan

Project Status:

Completed

Project Start:

2016

End of Project:

2019

Contract:

2016.11

Documentation

Swiss Contribution

Ernst Basler + Partner Ltd. (EBP) is an independent, international company, active in planning and consulting. EBP is familiar with technologies and developments in the biogas field through several mandates and has been working for many years in Uzbekistan. Together with Swiss partners (Arbi Ltd., Schweizer Ltd. and Biomass Switzerland) this project offers a huge wealth of experience in the field of biomass.

Description

Together with its local partners from the Urgench State University, the Central Asian Renewable Energy Development Center (CARED) and the Khorezm Rural Agricultural Support Service (KRASS), solutions are being developed in the Aral Sea Basin for rural enterprises to develop appropriate biogas plants in order to propagate the know-how on biogas plants’ structure and maintenance, as well as to open a competence center. In addition to the energy for heat and electricity, these plants serve in protecting soil fertility through the production of high quality organic fertilizer. The first steps are the analysis of the local situation and the definition of the appropriate technical solutions. This shall be followed by the installation of a biogas competence center, setting up specialists training and cooperation with farmers who are interested in implementing pilot plants.

Results

More than 20 scientists, consultants and farmers received an intensive training in biogas. A seminar was supplemented by specific courses for 200 farmers. Moreover, a biogas competence center has been set up in the rooms of the NGO KRASS in Urgench. At the same time, the project team analyzed existing concepts for the production of biogas and defined the best-suited technologies for on-site implementation.

Impacts

The project has improved the basic conditions for future biogas projects in the region. Swiss knowledge was transferred and many of the trained people showed interest to deepen their competencies in the coming years and make them available to others. To guarantee the requisite financing for locally adapted biogas pilot installations will be a major challenge for the Uzbek actors. They have already started to work on such a project.