INOGATE

Logo of the INOGATE programme

INOGATE is an international energy co-operation programme between the European Union (EU), the littoral states of the Black and Caspian seas and their neighbouring countries. The programme is operational since 1996.

INOGATE is one of the longest running energy technical assistance programmes funded by the EU. Up to 2006, it was funded by the Tacis Regional Cooperation Programme, and as of 2007, it has been funded by the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) under the ENPI-East Regional Indicative Programme 2007-2010 and 2010-2013. EuropeAid supports the programme through the ENPI and the Development Cooperation Instrument.

Origins

INOGATE originated in 1995 as an EU support mechanism dealing with INterstate Oil and GAs Transportation to Europe (whence it derived its name as an acronym).[1] It was particularly concerned initially with oil and gas pipelines running from and through Eastern Europe and the Caucasus to the EU. In 2001, a formal 'Umbrella Agreement' was signed by twenty one countries in Kiev, to cooperate on pipeline development and enhancement.[2] Following conferences in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2004 and in Astana, Kazakhstan, INOGATE has since evolved into a broader energy partnership between the EU and countries of the former Soviet Union, (excluding the Russian Federation and the Baltic States, but including Turkey), and concentrating on four key topics:

Partner countries

The INOGATE partner countries are:

Turkey is an INOGATE partner country and is, therefore, regularly invited to attend INOGATE meetings but it is not a beneficiary country.

The Baku Initiative and the Astana Declaration

Main article: Baku Initiative

The Baku Initiative resulted from a policy dialogue on energy cooperation between the European Union and the INOGATE partner countries. The initiative was announced on 13 November 2004 at the Energy Ministerial Conference in Baku. A second Ministerial Conference was held in Astana on 30 November 2006 which confirmed the broader remit of the INOGATE programme to cover a range of energy issues in the Partner Countries and their cooperation in these issues with the EU.[3]

One objective of the Baku Initiative is to enhance integration of the energy markets of participating countries with the EU energy market, so as to create transparent energy markets, capable of attracting investment and enhancing security of energy supply. (Other aspects of the Initiative were concerned with transport issues: see main article). The partner countries agreed objectives to harmonise legal and technical standards so as to create a functioning integrated energy market in accordance with EU and international legal and regulatory frameworks; to increase the safety and security of energy supplies by extending and modernising existing infrastructure, substituting outdated power generation infrastructures with environmentally friendly systems; the development of new infrastructures and implementation of modern monitoring systems; improvement of energy supply and demand management through the integration of efficient and sustainable energy systems; and promotion of the financing of commercially and environmentally viable energy projects of common interest. A 'road-map' towards achievement of these and allied objectives was adopted at the Astana Ministerial Conference.[3]

Structure and activities

The coordinating body is the Technical Secretariat based in Kiev, Ukraine, with a regional office in Tbilisi, Georgia, and in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The INOGATE Secretariat has an important role in ensuring the visibility, the coordination,coherence and sustainability of the programme as a whole as well as the individual projects.[4]

The Baku Initiative is implemented through the four working groups, each of which contains members from all partner countries:

A number of specific projects, financed by the ENPI, are associated with the INOGATE programme, and are listed at the INOGATE webportal. As at February 2009, these projects included initiatives to improve safety and security of oil and gas transit structures, to develop coordinated national energy policies in Central Asia, and to support market integration and sustainable energy initiatives in partner countries.

INOGATE has been closely involved with the development of the Eastern European Regional Centre for Hydrocarbon Metrology in Boyarka, Ukraine, which 'provides state-of-the-art calibration services for gas transfer within the region and to other countries'.[5] This should form an important element in the development of a regional energy market operating to Western European standards.[6]

The INOGATE programme has an ongoing schedule of conferences and publications. Its webportal contains regularly updated information and news on energy developments in partner countries and relevant EU initiatives and policies.

The programme supports reduction in Partner Countries their dependency on fossil fuels and imports, improvement of the security of their energy supply, and climate change overall mitigation.

Projects

An 'INOGATE Project' is any EU-funded regional energy project supporting energy policy cooperation in the INOGATE Partner countries in the topics of the four INOGATE areas of cooperation. Since the inception of the Programme in 1996, approximately 61 INOGATE projects have been implemented.

There are the following 3 active, on-going INOGATE projects:

In addition to the INOGATE projects, there is also the following INOGATE-related project (meaning not directly promoted as an INOGATE project but it has used INOGATE funding and encourages the same objectives) that the programme is also expected to take into consideration:

Each of the individual projects is responsible for ensuring visibility of their actions. However the ITS project will promote their results in the wider framework of the INOGATE Programme.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Website of EC Delegation in Central Asia
  2. ↑ International Energy Agency (2006), p. 208
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Ministerial conferences". Inogate.org. INOGATE. Retrieved 24 December 2014. The 2nd Energy Ministerial Conference took place two years later in 2006 in Astana, Kazakhstan and completed INOGATE’s transformation. INOGATE’s areas of work expanded to include three new energy sectors: electricity, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Its technical mandate was expanded to include legal and regulatory issues as well as investment attraction. The ministerial delegates adopted the Astana Declaration and its accompanying Energy Road Map.
  4. ↑ "INOGATE secretariat". Inogate.org. INOGATE. Retrieved 24 December 2014. t the heart of the INOGATE Programme is the INOGATE Technical Secretariat (ITS). The Secretariat, inaugurated in Kiev in 2000, is the coordination mechanism of the INOGATE Programme and has been active in providing the networking, coordination and promotion aspects of the INOGATE Programme’s activities. As of 2012, the ITS also provides significant technical assistance to the Partner Countries in all the thematic areas.
  5. ↑ ADE (2010), p. 71
  6. ↑ see Boyarka informative brochure

Sources

External links