BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 6. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a $3 million pilot program to upgrade six municipal buildings in Bishkek with energy-efficient technologies as part of preparations for a larger low-carbon infrastructure project planned for 2028, Trend reports via ADB.
According to ADB’s activity report under the Multisector Activities Support Facility 2025–2030, the project will focus on reducing air pollution and improving energy performance in five schools and one preschool. The pilot will introduce building insulation and LED lighting, with engineering designs and renovation works carried out between 2026 and 2028.
Bishkek continues to experience some of the highest winter air pollution levels in the region, largely caused by coal-based heating. ADB estimates that coal combustion in the city generates around 3.6 million tons of CO₂-equivalent annually, or 17 percent of the country’s total emissions. The project aligns with the Kyrgyz government’s Green Economy Development Program 2025–2029, which prioritizes lowering heating demand and promoting cleaner solutions in public buildings.
The pilot activity will also prepare the forthcoming Bishkek Low-Carbon Municipal Building Upgrading Project, an estimated $20 million investment scheduled for approval in 2028. That project is expected to scale up energy-efficiency measures and test low-carbon heating technologies such as heat pumps, including in single-family homes connected to district heating.
ADB will finance goods, works, and consulting services, while the government will provide counterpart funding to cover taxes and duties. The Ministry of Construction, Architecture, Housing, and Communal Services serves as the executing agency, with the Directorate of Capital Construction acting as the implementing agency for the first time in an ADB project.
The activity is categorized as B for environment and involuntary resettlement and C for Indigenous Peoples. ADB notes that potential construction impacts are site-specific and reversible, with mitigation plans in place.
Renovation work on the six buildings is expected to be completed by late 2028, followed by monitoring of energy savings in 2029.