While attending the 13th Plenary Session of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Kazakh President Hashim Tokayev pointed out that creating a cleaner and greener future is the common task of mankind, and Kazakhstan is willing to unite with regional countries to guarantee green development.

As the largest country in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is rich in coal, oil and natural gas, among the world's largest reserves. How to improve the efficiency of energy utilization and promote the development of green energy have become the key words of the country's economic development in recent years. Kazakhstan can learn from China's technology and experience on the road to green development, and can continue to deepen cooperation with China in the future, Kazakh scholars said in an interview with reporters on Thursday.

There's wind and sunshine

Tokayev said climate change had been neglected amid geopolitical instability and challenges to global energy security, according to the official website of the Kazakh presidency. Five billion people around the world will face water shortages by 2050 as a result of climate change, which will severely damage the world's food supply and ecosystems, according to a UN report.

He pointed out that Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the development of renewable energy and is committed to realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. Kazakhstan was one of the first countries to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement, pledging to become carbon neutral by 2060 and expand the share of renewable energy in the country's energy mix. To achieve this, the government has proposed sweeping reforms in all sectors of the economy, including energy, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, transport and waste disposal.

Tokayev also said that Kazakhstan will complete 10 gigawatts of new energy projects by 2035. "Abundant wind and sunshine and vast land have created the necessary conditions for green energy development in the country."

Do energy addition and subtraction well

Kazakhstan has advantages in traditional energy sources, but it also has certain weaknesses. Excessive reliance on fossil fuels and generally old power equipment mean that improving energy efficiency in Kazakhstan will be a systematic project.

"Kazakhstan is the first Central Asian country to commit to becoming carbon neutral by 2060, and its government has set specific targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." Kazakh economist Almas Chukin told reporters that the country needs to boost energy production, conversion and consumption. "In fact, it is not enough to improve the electricity production structure, it is important to electrify transportation and reduce the over-exploitation and use of natural resources."

Chukin said Kazakhstan is focusing on developing wind and solar energy, as well as hydropower and biofuels. To this end, the state has created a secure legal environment to regulate the financing and construction of new projects. According to him, the country allows auction to determine the price of electricity for renewable energy. According to statistics, the accumulated installed capacity of projects put into production in recent years exceeds 2 gigawatts.

From Kazakhstan's energy development path in recent years, we can see that "green" has become the key word. As early as 2009, the Kazakh government passed the Law on Supporting the Use of Renewable energy, and in 2013, it set development goals for the renewable energy industry. In order to improve energy efficiency through technological means, the Kazakh government has explicitly called for an increase in the share of alternative and renewable energy in the total electricity generation to 50% by 2050 in the "Green Economy Transformation Concept" and the "Kazakhstan - 2050" strategy.

The government will also push for a "clean coal" plan. According to Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Akchulakov, the project is mainly aimed at reducing the generation of waste materials during the coal utilization process and will be widely used in the future.

Kazakhstan-china cooperation adds new momentum

While promoting the development of its own new energy industry, the Kazakh government is also actively seeking international cooperation.

In recent years, Kazakhstan and China have been actively expanding cooperation in wind power, photovoltaic and other new energy fields. Chukin commented that there are many successful cases of Kazakhmy-China cooperation, "the technology and experience brought by China is worth learning from."

By the end of 2022, the first phase of a Chinese-funded wind power project in the northern Akmora Prefecture was connected to the grid with 30 150-megawatt generating units. After being connected to the grid at full capacity, the project will provide about 600 million KWH of clean electricity for the local community every year. In 2021, Zanatas 100 MW wind power project, the largest wind power project in Central Asia jointly built by Kazakhstan and China, will be connected to the grid with full capacity. In the same year, the Turkusson Hydropower Station in Kazakhstan, built by the China Three Gorges Corporation, put into operation all its units.

Compared with thermal power generation, the wind farm is expected to save about 110,000 tons of standard coal per year, reduce greenhouse gas and ash emissions, and meet the electricity needs of more than 200,000 households in the area, said Qiu Jin, managing partner of Hafang Visol Investment and a participant in the project. "We are planning to build a second 100MW project in Zanatas. This will not only bring clean energy to Kazakhstan, but also effectively promote urban development." Editor/Xu Shengpeng