Akim of the city met with the delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Mayor of Almaty Y. Dossaev discussed with the Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Alan Piyu projects to improve the infrastructure of the city and initiatives to develop small and medium-sized businesses.
The Akimat of Almaty and the EBRD have been fruitfully cooperating over the past 13 years in promoting initiatives aimed at modernizing housing and communal services, infrastructure and developing the transport sector.
Particular attention during the meeting was paid to the prospects for updating the trolleybus fleet and modernizing traction substations (190 trolleybuses, 10 substations).
The parties also discussed the possibility of further cooperation in the construction of light rail transport (LRT). Earlier (2015-2018), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development conducted studies on the feasibility of implementing a project for the construction and operation of an LRT system in Almaty (including environmental, economic and social analysis).
During the meeting, issues of the ecological situation in the city were discussed. According to preliminary data for February of this year, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exceeded the norm by 6 times, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (N2O) by 5 times. One of the main sources of pollution are industrial enterprises (37%). According to the expert opinion, modernization of CHPP-2 is necessary. The EBRD, as one of the project lenders, asked for support from the akimat, which confirmed its readiness to provide assistance. For the successful implementation of the project, a joint roadmap will be developed and adopted.
During the meeting, issues of the implementation of ESG projects on energy efficiency and energy saving in Almaty, modernization of engineering infrastructure to reduce losses of water, heat, etc. were also discussed.
An important direction in the development of the city is its digitalization. The parties considered the proposal for the implementation of the project "Digital Twin" of the city, which is a high-precision digital copy of the city's infrastructure and processes. The system is a platform for processing infrastructure stress testing data in various conditions, including climate change, public transport, population growth, etc.
In order to support and develop small and medium-sized businesses, joint programs and initiatives were discussed. It should be noted that the sphere of entrepreneurship is of great importance for the city - 6 out of 10 Almaty residents are employed in this sector.
At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to study the proposed projects within a month and return to discussions with a view to further cooperation.