At the energy forum held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, Deputy Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Bakhtjan Ilyas outlined a radical roadmap for energy transition. The core goal is to add 26 gigawatts of power generation capacity nationwide by 2035.

The composition of these 26 gigawatts is very clear: 5.5 gigawatts come from the modernization of existing power plants, and the remaining 20.5 gigawatts are all from newly built clean energy projects. This means that Kazakhstan is making a clear "addition" - significantly increasing the proportion of green electricity. According to the plan, by 2035, the proportion of renewable energy in the power generation structure will increase to 25%, with an additional 8 gigawatts of installed capacity for solar, wind, and hydropower alone.

This transformation is not carried out in isolation. Kazakhstan is synchronously promoting the upgrading of its power and heating networks, including the construction of hundreds of kilometers of new transmission lines to ensure efficient delivery of newly added green electricity.

Transformation driving force

Kazakhstan's urgent push for energy transformation is driven by dual factors: energy sovereignty and industrial demand.

Get rid of energy dependence: For a long time, some northern regions of Kazakhstan have relied on importing electricity from Russia. But according to the latest strategy, Kazakhstan plans to completely terminate electricity imports as early as 2027. To this end, Kazakhstan has secured over $25 billion in funding to advance 81 local energy projects with a total installed capacity of 15.3 gigawatts, aiming to achieve complete autonomy in the energy system.

Embracing the digital future: Deputy Minister Elias specifically pointed out that with the explosive growth of global data center demand, international investors' preference for "clean electricity" is increasingly strong. If Kazakhstan wants to attract high-tech data centers to settle down, it must provide stable and green energy security. In addition, Kazakhstan has approved a long-term plan for hydrogen energy development and is preparing a pilot project for green hydrogen energy, attempting to seize a position in the new energy industry chain.

Regional cooperation opportunities

Kazakhstan's energy ambitions have also opened up new space for cooperation between China and Central Asia.

Kazakhstan has clearly expressed its willingness to strengthen energy cooperation with China and the CIS countries. At present, Kazakhstan's Janbuhr Oblast is cooperating with France's Total Energy to build a 1 GW wind power project, while in Pavlodar Oblast, Kazakhstan plans to collaborate with China State Power Investment Group to promote another 1 GW wind power project.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

This collaboration is not limited to the project level. Kazakhstan is actively participating in the construction of the "Green Energy Corridor" in the Central Asian region, aiming to strengthen power grid interconnection with countries such as Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, and may even form a channel for exporting green electricity to Europe in the future. For China, this means that there will be new market opportunities in the fields of wind power, photovoltaic equipment export, and power grid construction.Editor/Yang Meiling