The Central Asian energy system represents a unique case in which — despite a long history of mutually beneficial cooperation — regional actors suddenly decided to pursue myopically self-interested energy policies. In the 1990s and early 2000s, coordinated operation of the national
energy sectors ensured energy security for Central Asian states. However, isolationist energy policies focused on full self-reliance and self-control, without the establishment of self-sustaining independent energy systems, significantly compromised the security of the CAES. While most of the Central Asian states, since then, have succeeded in building a country-wide energy-transporting network, they still suffer, to differing extents, from excessive dependence on single sources of energy, lack of production capacity and seasonal variation of power generation.
This paper looks at what Canadian best practices in energy security can offer Central Asian states to improve their prospects for energy security.
