Kazakhstan's contribution to «green energy» was discussed in The Hague
The Hague, December 2, 2022 - As part of the celebration of the 30th establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries Embassy of Kazakhstan in the Kingdom of the Netherlands held a round table on the topic «Energy Transit».
«The government of Kazakhstan is actively working to find alternative energy sources. Confirming the firm commitment of Kazakhstan to the Paris Agreement, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Thus, we are making every effort to achieve a common goal. In this perspective, active development of solar energy and wind energy and other energy sources are being carried out.» said Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Netherlands Askar Zhumagaliev
He also confirmed to the participants of the round table commitment of Kazakhstan to the transition to «green» energy sources. Kazakhstan is working on the launch of its first facilities for the production of hydrogen and the development of a peaceful atom.
«At the moment we see that the Netherlands has the same strategy. Priority is given to solar and wind energy, but the government also plans to build 2 new nuclear power plants, so the ideas that we shared at this round table, will make a big contribution to the common good», he assured.
Kazakhstan's contribution to building the future based on green energy was also appreciated by the head of the united European and international energy policy department of the Ministry of Economy and Climate Policy of the Netherlands Enzo Molenberg. He noted key facts about Kazakhstan.
«Kazakhstan is the largest oil producer in Central Asia. You are ranked 12th in the world in the ranking of countries with the largest oil reserves. In addition, Kazakhstan has a great success in attracting the interest of major players in the oil and gas sector,» Mr. Molenberg said during the round table.
As the Head of the Department of International Relations of URENCO Hidde Bars noted, “Kazakhstan has chosen the right vector of development. Renewable energy sources will only work effectively in conjunction with nuclear power plants. Otherwise, they simply do not have enough power. Only in this case we will be able to ensure the energy security of the community,” he noted.
Satzhan Temirgaliyev, Chief Financial Officer of Eurasian Resources Group, a leading diversified natural resources company, representing one third of the metals and mining industry in Kazakhstan, spoke about the company’s support to the country’s decarbonisation and green energy transition strategy. Mr Temirgaliyev noted that in 2021 ERG established its Group-level ESG Committee and the Decarbonisation Think Tank.
«To reduce our carbon footprint, we are actively implementing various initiatives at our assets in Kazakhstan. We are participating, via specialized Think Tank organization, in a range of government-led initiatives to support broader decarbonisation efforts in Kazakhstan. We are expanding our renewable energy portfolio and have recently decided to build a major wind power plant in the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan. The plant will have a capacity of up to 155 MW and is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by around 520,000 tons annually. We have identified a number of potential sites across Kazakhstan for large-scale wind and solar power generation projects, and aim to bring some of these projects to execution in the next 5-10 years”, he noted.
The event was attended by: Energy Envoy of the KN Ministry of Economy and Climate Policy Frederik Wisselink, Head of the Main Department of Foreign Economic Relations of the KN Ministry of Foreign Affairs Marieke van der Vilk, Head of the EU and International Relations Department - Senior Research Fellow Clingendael Louise van Schaik, Witteveen+Bos Consulting Engineers Senior Project Manager Johan Liftogt, PwC representative Yerzhan Magzhanov, and many others.
In the prospects of the Embassy to give this event annual character, with the involvement of a larger number stakeholders. This measure will allow in a constructive line of «synchronizing the clock» on the world's exciting topic community.