QAZAQ GREEN. Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov met with Director General for Climate Change and Sustainable Development Yevgeniy Zhukov on the sidelines of the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana for bilateral talks on energy sector cooperation.

The two sides reviewed the current state of their partnership and its prospects going forward. The Minister acknowledged the Bank's substantial contribution to modernising Kazakhstan's energy infrastructure, introducing advanced technologies, and advancing sustainable solutions.

A centrepiece of the meeting was the outcome of negotiations between the Kazakhstani government and ADB leadership, which resulted in the signing of a Memorandum covering 15 projects worth a combined $5.5 billion to be implemented between 2026 and 2029.

Heat supply modernisation was identified as a priority area. In this context, the parties noted the significance of the Law on Heat and Power Industry adopted in 2024, which established a modern regulatory framework for the sector.

The sides also discussed joint work on developing regional heat supply schemes aimed at improving energy efficiency, cutting losses, and upgrading combined heat and power plants, boiler houses, and heat networks. Particular attention was paid to decarbonisation and the deployment of modern technologies, including gas-based solutions, thermal energy storage systems, and digital grid management.

The meeting also covered prospects for cooperation on power grid development, Smart Grid solutions, and energy storage systems to strengthen grid resilience as the share of renewables continues to grow.

Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the partnership, including infrastructure project financing, private investment attraction, tariff policy reform, public-private partnership mechanisms, and workforce development.