Astana (AsiaNews) – The promotion of energy saving in Kazakhstan is an interesting and controversial topic, particularly in light of windows left open in winter or streetlights left on during the day.
Nevertheless, some progress has been made, particularly in the large-scale industrial sector, where 500 billion tenge (approximately 1 billion euros – Ed.) has been invested in recent years in targeted technologies. Energy savings have amounted to around 141 billion tenge, and energy intensity has been reduced by 32 per cent.
However, the private and residential sectors remain a ‘black hole’ of energy consumption, as demonstrated by a survey by Orda.kz into the reasons behind this situation.
A meeting of the Council for the Transition to a Green Economy was recently held in Astana at the Office of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Among other topics, the issue of the republic’s energy efficiency was addressed, which still leaves much to be desired, as acknowledged by the Minister for Industry, Ersayn Nagaspaev.
Despite this, energy savings in Kazakhstan are making progress, albeit at significantly different rates across the various sectors of the economy, as stated by Darkhan Kurmanbaev, vice-chairman of the board of directors of the local National Centre for Energy Saving, who states that the key indicator of the economy’s efficiency is the energy intensity of gross domestic product, which shows that a 5 per cent reduction has been achieved compared with the 2021 level. Strategic documents envisage a 15 per cent reduction in the energy intensity of GDP by 2030, and according to the expert, current trends suggest that progress is already being made towards this target.
The State Energy Register is a key tool for energy saving, covering enterprises that consume energy resources equivalent to 1,500 tonnes or more of standard fuel annually.
The register currently contains over 20,000 entities: “Large enterprises, with the exception of government bodies, are required to carry out an energy audit every five years, on the basis of which an action plan is drawn up. In recent years, over 500 billion tenge has been invested,” said Kurmanbaev, explaining that “as a result, the energy intensity of the industrial sector fell by 32 per cent between 2021 and 2024, and businesses have implemented measures worth over 100 billion, yielding annual savings of around 50 billion and 1 million tonnes of standard fuel”.
Today, the priority for energy saving lies instead with energy efficiency in the residential sector. In 2024, residential buildings overtook the industrial sector for the first time, becoming the largest consumer, accounting for 47.7 per cent of the country’s final energy consumption.
The reasons for this situation lie in the technical condition of the existing building stock, the deterioration of infrastructure and the low energy performance ratings of buildings. To further promote energy saving in Kazakhstan, it is therefore necessary to continue modernising businesses and buildings, implement modern energy-saving technologies and improve energy consumption monitoring systems. It is also essential to strengthen regulatory requirements for the construction and renovation of buildings, Kurmanbaev emphasises.
The development of a unified information system for energy saving and efficiency, which ensures the collection, analysis and monitoring of consumption data, could make a significant contribution to addressing these challenges, the expert concludes.
The company KTZ, for example, is implementing an energy management system compliant with international standards, verifying the compliance of its system annually, and in 2025 successfully passed an audit by TÜV Thüringen. The national rail operator has already signed a long-term contract for the supply of 270 hybrid locomotives, with production based in Kazakhstan. The country’s ability to meet its targets for reducing the energy intensity of the economy by 2030 will depend largely on how effectively it manages to improve the energy efficiency of homes and public infrastructure.
