The Russian city of Astrakhan will soon be partnering with the Copenhagen Centre to improve its energy efficiency. Having expressed its desire to become a flagship sustainable city and a model for regional replication, last December Astrakhan signed a Statement of Intent that formally established the partnership. On 27 February 2017, this new alliance was officialised at a kick-off meeting and stakeholder consultation in Astrakhan, drawing representatives from the city administration, utilities, UNIDO, IBM, and Mastercard.
Tucked into the Volga Delta just off the Caspian Sea, Astrakhan has a population of some 530,000 and enjoys a temperate continental climate. At the kick-off meeting, the Copenhagen Centre presented its cities strategy and explained how Astrakhan can potentially benefit from support through SEforALL’s Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform and other programmes, and take the lead on energy efficiency improvements in the region. As a next step, Copenhagen Centre will establish a direct dialogue between the city of Astrakhan and international experts with the aim of ramping up energy efficiency in the city’s buildings and district energy systems.