Project

Provision of Communal Services in Uzbekistan

EBP Ltd. provides consulting services for the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan within the project for improving the regulatory framework for communal services in Uzbekistan.

In 2005 EBP was hired by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan to provide consulting services within the project «Improvement of the Regulatory Framework for Communal Services in Uzbekistan.»

The project is funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and has two main objectives:

1. To assist the Ministry of Finance and the Agency «Uzkommunhizmat» to improve the regulatory environment of communal service enterprises to enhance the sustainability of their operations, their commercial viability and their attractiveness for infrastructure investments and private sector participation.

2. To enable the government and communal service enterprises to structure tariffs in a way which could address affordability and social safety concerns without undermining the communal service enterprises? commercial viability.

In pursuit of these objectives, we are analyzing the current situation of the provision and pricing of communal services in Uzbekistan and the deficiencies in the system.

In order to secure the future provision of communal services, the operations of communal service enterprises must be sustainable, both from a financial or business point of view (commercial viability), as well as from a technical or engineering point of view (adequate maintenance of infrastructure). With a significant portion of the population living in poverty and large regional differences in the incidence of poverty, raising tariffs is problematic due to affordability considerations, as well as social and political safety concerns of the government.

We are developing recommendations for the improvement of the system and are assisting in the implementation of the recommendations. The communal services which are the subject of the project are:

  • Water and waste water;
  • Heating and hot water;
  • Natural gas;
  • Housing;
  • Urban enhancement and sanitary cleaning (consisting mainly of solid waste services).

Contact persons