Central Asia is forming a unified electricity market.

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved the program "Development of the Electricity Market and Integration of Energy Systems in Central Asia" (REMIT). The implementation of the initiative is planned for ten years. The total financing is estimated to exceed $1 billion. 
The program aims to establish the first regional electricity market in Central Asia. Key tasks include developing cross-border trade, expanding the transmission network capacity, and creating a foundation for large-scale integration of energy resources among the countries of the region. 
The project will be implemented in three stages. In the first phase, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as the regional coordination-dispatch center "Energy," will receive grants and concessional financing amounting to $143.2 million. 
The bulk of the funds will come from the resources of the International Development Association of the World Bank. An additional $3.2 million will be provided from the Water and Energy Program for Central Asia fund, which is managed by the bank in partnership with the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 
The World Bank's press release notes that the demand for electricity in Central Asia continues to grow and may triple by 2050. At the same time, electricity trade among the countries of the region remains limited and accounts for about 3 percent of total demand. 
The share of renewable energy sources in the total production is estimated at approximately 4 percent. 
The REMIT program envisages the use of complementary energy resources. These include the hydropower of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, thermal power plants in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as the potential for solar and wind energy in all countries of the region. 
It is expected that over the next decade, electricity trade will grow to 15,000 gigawatt-hours per year. According to the World Bank's estimates, this figure will meet the needs of millions of people. 
Experts also predict that during the first phase of program implementation, about 900 megawatts of new capacity will be integrated. This will attract about $700 million in private investments. 
The total estimated financing volume of REMIT is $1.018 billion. Investments are expected to create jobs in the construction of energy infrastructure and in the management of energy markets. 
The World Bank's Director for Central Asia, Nadji Benhassin, stated that by 2050, deepening energy integration and developing electricity trade could bring the region up to $15 billion in economic benefits.