Representatives of JSC "Astana-REC" participated in the Central Asian Regional Seminar on the operations and planning of modern distribution companies.

At the invitation of USAID's "Central Asia Energy" program, three representatives of JSC "Astana-REC" participated in the Central Asian Regional Seminar on the operations and planning of modern distribution companies, organized in Almaty from August 14 to 17.

The seminar was attended by over 50 participants from regional power grid companies across Central Asia, as well as international experts and representatives from USAID. The main topics of the seminar were divided into four key areas:

1. Implementation of AMR (Automatic Meter Reading Systems) — The following speakers presented on this topic: President of the Lithuanian company "Sigma Telas" Petras Tarasavičius on the technologies and capabilities of the EMCoS software, Head of the Telecommunications Department of JSC "Alatau Zharyk Kompaniyasy" Natalya Lapshina, and Vice-Rector of the Almaty University of Energy and Communications Almaz Saukhimov on the experience and results of implementing AMR systems.
   In addition to the topics listed in the seminar program, representatives from Uzbekistan presented on the implementation of an AMR system with a centralized billing center, achieving 100% coverage of consumers across the republic.
2. Reduction of Losses — The following speakers presented on this topic: representatives of USAID – Head of the Loss Reduction Practice Revaz Gligvashvili, Loss Reduction Expert Gela Kereselidze, and Chief Engineer of JSC "Electric Networks of Dushanbe" Parviz Kutbudinov.
   In addition to the topics listed in the seminar program, representatives from Kyrgyzstan presented a video on detected methods of electricity theft.
3. Integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) into Grids — The following speakers presented on this topic: representatives of USAID – Viktor Bedoya, Expert on Power System Integration Planning and Analysis; Tristan Quisis, Energy Sector Analyst; and Erzhigit Bapin, Energy Sector Specialist.
4. Analytics and Planning in Network Management — The following speakers presented on this topic: international consultant Shahab Kureshi gave a very interesting presentation on the practical application of an analytical approach to network planning and management.
   On the first day of the seminar, participants took a tour of the 220 kV "Yermensay" substation of JSC "Alatau Zharyk Kompaniyasy" (AJK), where they were shown the substation equipment. We found this seminar to be highly beneficial and informative in terms of exchanging experiences and establishing international connections. We are pleased to note that JSC "Astana-REC" is one of the most advanced companies, not only among Kazakhstani firms but also within Central Asia, in terms of the percentage of AMR implementation, reduction of losses, and network management.