Book contents
- Energy Security along the New Silk Road
- Cambridge Studies on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Governance
- Energy Security along the New Silk Road
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Map
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Central Asian Energy Security
- 3 Regional Energy Market Reform
- 4 Corporate Restructuring Reform
- 5 Reform of the Energy Market Architecture
- 6 Tariff Reforms
- 7 Market Reform, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficiency
- 8 Non-payment and Theft
- 9 Conclusion
- Select Bibliography
- Index
7 - Market Reform, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficiency
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 June 2019
- Energy Security along the New Silk Road
- Cambridge Studies on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Governance
- Energy Security along the New Silk Road
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Map
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Central Asian Energy Security
- 3 Regional Energy Market Reform
- 4 Corporate Restructuring Reform
- 5 Reform of the Energy Market Architecture
- 6 Tariff Reforms
- 7 Market Reform, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficiency
- 8 Non-payment and Theft
- 9 Conclusion
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Focuses on consumer protection in the context of energy market reform. Given the region’s energy poverty, consumer protection must be placed at the centre of the reforms. From a procedural perspective, public consultation could make an important contribution to the public acceptability of tariff reforms, but this would require a frank admission of the real causes of energy insecurity in Central Asia, including the highly sensitive topics of corruption and discrimination in favour of strategic enterprises. Judicial practice in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan demonstrates that courts have a role to play in enforcing consumers’ procedural rights. In addition to procedural protection, subsidies are necessary to protect the most vulnerable segments of the population against tariff increases. However, subsidizing the use of energy traps consumers into energy dependency and thus exacerbates the financial impact of future tariff increases. In order to break the vicious circle of low energy pricing that currently undermines Central Asian energy security, subsidies must be channelled away from energy consumption and into efficiency improvements.
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- Energy Security along the New Silk RoadEnergy Law and Geopolitics in Central Asia, pp. 205 - 227Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019
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