ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 20. President of
Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for the development of
an accurate map of the country’s water and energy resources to
strengthen the reliability of the national energy system, Trend reports via the press
service of the Kazakh president.
Speaking at the fifth session of the National Kurultai, Tokayev
said that water resources represent an important reserve for
ensuring energy security, but their potential is not being fully
utilized. He noted that existing assessments of Kazakhstan’s
hydropower potential date back to the Soviet period and are now
outdated.
The president stressed the need to urgently conduct an objective
assessment of the country’s actual hydropower capacity and to
prepare a reliable map of Kazakhstan’s water and energy resources.
He emphasized that time is of the essence and that the preparation
of these documents should not hinder the accelerated development of
hydropower.
Tokayev also instructed the government and the Samruk-Kazyna
Fund to address the issue of transferring hydrotechnical facilities
to trust management in order to improve their operational
efficiency.
Kazakhstan possesses abundant energy resources, including coal,
oil, and natural gas, and is the largest global producer of
uranium. While fossil fuels dominate energy generation, the
government aims to increase renewable energy sources like wind,
solar, and hydro by 2030/2050. Water resources rely heavily on
transboundary rivers and groundwater but face significant
challenges such as pollution, salinity, and climate-related events
like floods and droughts.
A new Water Code introduced in 2024 seeks to ensure sustainable
management of water as an economic asset. The country is also
transitioning towards lower-carbon energy sources to meet rising
demand and carbon neutrality goals by 2060.
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