Kazakhstan to Focus on Renewable Energy

Kazakhstan is shifting its focus on renewable energy; the ongoing world exhibition EXPO 2017 is expected to provide a strong momentum to sustainable energy which is also one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda. 

Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Mukhtar B. Tileuberdi made a strong pitch in New York for renewable energy, asserting that staging the EXPO 2017, which provided a platform for countries to share knowledge and technology to address one of the planet’s most pressing challenges, fitted well “with our values and ambitions”. 

“Hosting the EXPO 2017, which symbolizes international cooperation and technological advances, for the first time in Central Asia, is a milestone not just for our country but the entire region. The fair’s emphasis on the theme of ‘Future Energy’ also lends support to the UN’s aspirations to attain the SDGs,” 

Tileuberdi said in an exclusive interview with Bernama on the side-lines of a panel discussion on EXPO 2017 held at the Kazakhstan mission to the UN. Tileuberdi argued that renewable energy is at the heart of the solution to the challenge of promoting growth, creating jobs, and improving living standards while protecting the planet for future generations. 

Although Kazakhstan has huge reserves of oil and gas, Tileuberdi said, his country is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. Indeed, Kazakhstan’s President Nazarbyev had set the goal of meeting half of its domestic power needs from renewable resources by 2050. 

According to Tileuberdi, the EXPO exhibition will give an impetus Kazakhstan’s transition to a “modern and sustainable economy”. 

Tileuberdi averred that the engineering and scientific achievements showcased at the EXPO can provide a strong momentum to the transition to green economies around the world. 

“We all share this planet and it is vital that global economic growth does not take place at the expense of our environment and future generations. We believe strongly in Kazakhstan that we must all prosper together. 

“When EXPO 2017 finally closes its doors in September, the buildings and infrastructure will have new uses to drive the modernization of the economy. The concrete and lasting benefits these will bring will far outweigh any costs,” he said. 

The national pavilions, which will be vacated after the exhibition ends, will be converted to scientific laboratories for the development and adoption of new technologies. A new International Center for Green Technology and Investments will be set up as well the Astana International Finance Center. “This is a very important initiative which will attract capital to develop Kazakhstan as well as all of Central Asia,” Tileuberdi said. 

Astana has also acquired enhanced urban infrastructure, including new high-tech airport terminal, the region’s largest railway station, and an upgraded public transportation system. 

Kazakhstan has set up special economic zones to attract foreign companies and establish a logistics hub for Central Asia. “Kazakhstan is leading by example with its emphasis on green energy, even though it is a producer of oil and gas,” she said, adding that it was necessary to pay greater attention to the plight of the least developed, landlocked and small island countries. 

Sultanoglu, who spoke of the “vibrating energy and the innovations” at the EXPO in Astana, described energy as an enabler of sustainable development. “Making clean energy is no longer just wishful thinking,” she said, pointing out that some 9.8 million jobs had been created in China, Russia, Brazil, India and Japan and other countries in clean energy. 

“This is an impressive figure,” she said, adding that she believed in the future of sustainable energy “so as to make it sustainable for humanity”. 

In line with EXPO 2017 and Kazakhstan's wish to focus on renewable energy, Algoritmi KZ launched a series of policies aimed at companies that want to become more environmentally aware. The ALASH Green Kit consists of a series of documents, guidelines, posters and labels that are helpful in the adoption of such policies. Companies that will prove to have successfully implemented their green policies will receive the offical ALASH Green Certificate.
For more information about the ALASH Green Kit, click here

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