Japan-led geothermal project underway in Tajikistan | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News - NHKニュース

Japanese researchers are working to introduce a heating and air-conditioning system using underground heat in Tajikistan. The aim is to help the Central Asian country fight global warming.

The system that began operation this month at the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan in the capital Dushanbe was shown to government officials and other local people on Friday.

Professors at Japan's Akita University have been leading the project since 2021, with the help of the Japan Science and Technology Agency and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The mechanism makes use of differences in temperature above and below the ground. At a depth of about 100 meters, temperatures stay at around 15 degrees Celsius throughout the year. The differences are used for heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.

Tajikistan suffers power shortages particularly in the winter, when heating demand rises. Many schools, hospitals and households use coal for heating. The country faces challenges of securing energy sources while reducing carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution.

The system is scheduled to be installed at hospitals in the suburbs of the capital. Expectations are rising that it will be widely used among households in the future.

Akita University Professor Inagaki Fumiaki, one of the project leaders, says he hopes the system will become widely available in Tajikistan and people there will eventually be able to build it themselves. He said his team will continue its efforts to promote the technology and raise public awareness.