QAZAQ GREEN.  Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov held talks with Tajikistan's Minister of Energy and Water Resources Juma Daler Shofakir on the sidelines of the Regional Ecological Summit RES-2026 in Astana. The discussions focused on expanding energy cooperation and establishing long-term electricity supplies from the Rogun hydropower plant.

The Kazakhstani side reaffirmed the strategic importance of its energy partnership with Dushanbe. The ministers commended years of logistics cooperation on rail deliveries of Kazakhstani hydrocarbons and confirmed their readiness to develop export and transit routes on the basis of economic efficiency and mutual benefit.

The centrepiece of the talks was the proposed import of clean electricity generated at the Rogun HPP — a project of strategic significance for the region's water and energy balance and for meeting Kazakhstan's irrigation needs during the growing season.

Akkenzhenov confirmed that domestic approval procedures for a draft intergovernmental agreement on electricity imports have been completed. The supplies are intended to help balance Kazakhstan's Unified Energy System during peak load hours, enabling grid operator KEGOC to optimise the national network's daily schedule and improve overall reliability.

The ministers agreed that the move toward intergovernmental agreements marks a new, more transparent level of bilateral cooperation delivering mutual benefit to both countries.