Kazakhstan’s government to conduct new review of national energy consumption

According to Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, his cabinet plans to work with the NDC Partnership (a global coalition of more than 120 countries to fight climate change) to analyze the energy consumption of economic sectors in Kazakhstan over the period from 2021 to 2023.

«We are negotiating with the NDC Partnership to analyze energy consumption across economic sectors from 2021 to 2023,» the prime minister said in response to an MP’s inquiry.

As the official explained, the last time the government analyzed energy consumption in various sectors was from 2014 to 2022. At that time, the analysis was conducted with the help of the World Bank to prepare systemic measures for better energy conservation and efficiency. According to the results of that analysis, several industries showed positive dynamics: overall energy consumption decreased by 47%. In the oil, gas and coal sectors, the rate dropped by 26%, and in the agricultural sector by 25%.

However, the analysis also revealed negative trends in the transportation sector (energy consumption grew by 47%), the housing sector (+19%), and the electrical energy and heating industries (+3%). Kazakhstan has voluntarily committed to cutting emissions by 15% by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.

The prime minister also pointed out that the country faces some difficulties in scientific research and innovations due to the absence of a research entity under the Ministry of Energy. Even though it is quite obvious that the country needs such a specialized research institute to support the development of the energy sector, this initiative has not gained support, Bektenov noted. On the other hand, the country is performing quite well in terms of renewable energy as all necessary conditions have been created, the prime minister said.

Over the last nine years, the total capacity of renewable energy plants has risen more than 16 times, from 178 megawatts in 2014 to 2,903.7 megawatts in 2024. The number of these power stations increased more than fivefold, from 26 to 148. To reach target indicators for the number of renewable power plants by 2027, the government plans to auction several more energy projects with a total capacity of 6,720 megawatts.