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Nuclear Energy

Kazakhstan To Establish Special Commission on NPP Construction

A special government commission will be formed in Kazakhstan to manage the nuclear power plant construction project, according to Energy Minister, Almasadam Satkaliyev. As stated by the minister, the commission will engage in an open, competitive dialog with potential bidders. Preliminary consultations have already been held, including visits to China and South Korea, where critical requirements for future contractors were discussed. Among the main selection criteria are power cost, budget and construction time-frame, mandatory safety guarantees, social commitments, financing, and localization of fuel production. As part of this process, the commission will formulate proposals for further consideration at a meeting of the Energy Council under the President of Kazakhstan. In addition, consultants will analyze the project's financial, economic, legal, and technical aspects. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, a referendum on nuclear power in Kazakhstan was held on October 6. More than 70% of Kazakhstanis voted in favor of the construction of a nuclear power plant. Potential participants in the project are now being discussed. Among the countries being considered as partners are Russia, China, France, and South Korea. These states have set out their proposals, and the authorities in Kazakhstan are considering them. In addition, the United States has expressed its willingness to participate. President Tokayev has expressed his preference for an international consortium to realize the project. The final decision will be made based on technical and financial conditions, with the preliminary cost estimated at $5 billion.

Automobile Industry

Car Multimedia System Plant Launched in Almaty

The opening ceremony of the Kazakhstan Mobility Engineering Plant took place on October 30 in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. The new production facility is part of Astana Motors, Kazakhstan’s major automobile distribution and manufacturing company. In April last year, Astana Motors signed a memorandum of cooperation with South Korea’s Motrex Co Ltd., receiving the right to produce multimedia devices in Kazakhstan using the Korean partner's technology. The plant was launched in September 2024, and the first batch of its audio and video multimedia systems has already been delivered to the Hyundai Trans Kazakhstan plant for installation on Tucson and Elantra cars. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan, Kanat Sharlapayev, emphasized that multimedia systems are high-precision production requiring first-class specialists' competencies in digital technologies. “Our key goal is to create a production cycle with a high share of [production] localization [inside Kazakhstan]. And we will make maximum use of domestic raw materials and components. That is why Kazakhstan Mobility Engineering is important for the country.” Motrex CEO Junseon Kim also stressed the importance of local production: "Our goal is to closely cooperate with our partners to increase local production of components and leadership in the assembly of multimedia devices. The partnership will allow us to respond quickly to local needs, create jobs, and support Kazakhstan's economic growth." The Kazakhstan Mobility Engineering plant is part of the Astana Motors Engineering Technopark, constructed in the Industrial Zone of Almaty to produce automobile components. The technopark will also open a car seat manufacturing plant, a rubber and plastic products manufacturing plant, and a logistics hub. Its products will be supplied to the Hyundai Trans Kazakhstan plant and other automobile plants in Kazakhstan. Astana Motors has also signed a memorandum with Sanico Electronics, a South Korean manufacturer, to obtain the right to produce motherboards and cases for multimedia systems. In other news, Kazakhstan’s national company, Kazakh Invest, and KIA Qazaqstan discussed projects to produce original South Korean auto components for KIA cars in Kazakhstan. The parties considered cooperating with South Korean companies SJG Sejong and Seoyon E-Hwa, the original manufacturers of seats, bumpers, mufflers, and other components for KIA cars. Representatives of the companies expressed interest in implementing investment projects in Kazakhstan, emphasizing the strategic importance of localizing the production of automotive components in the country. A full-cycle plant to produce KIA cars is currently under construction in Kazakhstan’s Kostanay. The new plant will cost about $200 million and have a production capacity of 70,000 vehicles annually. This project is KIA's first direct investment in a joint venture to construct a plant outside Korea. At a government meeting on October 29, Minister of Industry and Construction Sharlapayev said that from January to September 2024, Kazakhstan produced more than 82,000 cars.

WTO

Turkmen Business Prepares for WTO Integration

Ashgabat recently hosted a two-day seminar on Turkmenistan's prospects for joining the World Trade Organization. The event, organized by the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the International Trade Center (ITC), brought together representatives of the country's private sector and government agencies. ITC international experts Daria Karman, Alyson Hook, and Nurlan Kulbatyrov shared practical integration experience into the global trading system with the participants. Special attention was paid to Kazakhstan, whose path to the WTO can serve as an illustrative example for Turkmenistan. Among the key topics of discussion were the need to adapt legislation to international standards, reform trade policy, and modernize mechanisms for regulating foreign economic activity. For Turkmen entrepreneurs, accession to the WTO opens access to world markets and creates favorable conditions for increasing exports. However, this will require a significant increase in local enterprises' competitiveness and the introduction of modern production technologies. According to the event organizers, the active discussion of integration processes testifies to Turkmen business's serious attitude toward international cooperation. Such seminars are part of Turkmenistan's comprehensive preparation for accession to the WTO. In the future, this should create additional incentives for entrepreneurship and increase the country's export potential. Representatives of government agencies and the business community actively participated in the seminar, which confirmed Turkmenistan's interest in deepening integration processes and expanding international trade cooperation.

Environment

Only Half of Kazakhstan’s CO2 Emissions are Subject to State Regulation

Environmentalists say that Kazakhstan's quota system for greenhouse gas emissions covers only half of the country's emissions. This means that the state only has real leverage over large industrial polluters. Experts say that the state needs to pay further attention in the near future to emissions in three sectors: agriculture, forestry, and waste management systems. These sectors currently remain virtually uncontrolled in terms of environmental emissions. Kazakhstan ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1995 and, in 2016, presented its plan to the world community for transitioning to a green economy and achieving carbon neutrality. The carbon neutrality strategy envisages a 15% reduction in the 1990 level of emissions by 2030 (from 386.3 to 328.4 million tons of CO2) and achieving a net zero balance of greenhouse gases by 2060. The country has implemented a quota system for greenhouse gas emissions, and any industrial facility with emissions exceeding 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year is subject to quotas. However, those “polluters” whose activities result in emissions of 10 to 20 thousand tons of CO2 are subject to regulation and must report to the state for their emissions, but they are not subject to quotas. Finally, economic entities that do not even reach 10,000 tons of emissions are not obliged to notify the state about the environmental damage they cause. As a result, the state can regulate only half of emissions. Aigul Malikova, coordinator of the Central Asia Regional Environmental Network in Kazakhstan, explained to The Times of Central Asia: “In 2021, according to the national inventory, the actual volume of emissions across Kazakhstan amounted to 340 million tons, and quotas, including even additional ones, were issued for only 176 million, which means that only half of all greenhouse gas emissions fall under regulation, and in fact, we can affect only half of all emissions now. The situation is aggravated by the fact that in 2021, Kazakhstan produced one-third more emissions than the quotas granted; in 2022, this excess was 3%; that is, even regulated enterprises emit more than they are allowed under the quotas.” Malikova also noted there is no data for 2023. Still, it is already clear that the government needs to control not only major industrial polluters but also other sectors of the economy that need to be more accountable in terms of emissions regulation to achieve carbon neutrality. However, assessing their contribution to total emissions is difficult since they are not even legally required to submit reports. Paradoxically, such sectors include agriculture and forestry, which by definition should be environmentally “clean,” as well as the waste management system and housing and communal services. “For these three sectors - agriculture and forestry, waste management and housing, and communal services - data on greenhouse gas emissions could not be assessed at all. In the national reporting, this data is absent in the context of regions. In the reporting of the carbon cadastre, this data is also absent, and because they are not subject to quotas, no...

International Diplomacy

Diplomatic Renaissance: How Tokayev’s Visit to Mongolia Went

The recent state visit by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Mongolia, the first by a Kazakh president in 16 years, demonstrated an excellent approach to expanding Astana's strategic ties. After all, despite 32 years of diplomatic relations and a relatively extensive Kazakh diaspora in Mongolia, under the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Astana's ties with Ulaanbaatar were essentially put on hold. This pause in relations likely arose due to Mongolia's political reputation in the region. Protests often erupt in the country, sometimes becoming particularly violent. In 2008, when the Kazakh authorities justified their failures in the economy with the outbreak of the global economic crisis, a state of emergency was imposed in Mongolia for four days in July. The reason was violent opposition protests against the results of the parliamentary elections. Protesters smashed the headquarters of the ruling party and set fire to several buildings in the center of Ulaanbaatar, killing five people and injuring 300. For Mongolia, with its population of 3.4 million, this was a significant shock, as it was for its neighbors in the Eurasian region, where three leaders fell between 2003 and 2005 -- Eduard Shevardnadze in Georgia, Leonid Kuchma in Ukraine, and Askar Akayev in Kyrgyzstan. All this was declared in the region as an “export of revolutions,” building around this notion, a conspiracy theory about the machinations of the U.S. State Department and George Soros. Tokayev's state visit to Mongolia 16 years after Nursultan Nazarbayev refers to the Kazakh leader's key idea about the renaissance of Central Asia. Mongolia is no stranger to the region in one way or another. The main thing for Kazakhstan is the strong Kazakh diaspora, which exceeds 117,000 people. This is the largest national minority in Mongolia and the second largest ethnic group after the titular one. A Kazakh newspaper is published in Mongolia, some Kazakh TV channels are shown on television, and there is an hour of radio news in Kazakh. In short, the basis for strengthening relations is powerful. Tokayev and the president of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, who received him, spoke in both narrow and extended formats about reaching the level of strategic partnership. Tokayev and Khurelsukh, even before the one-on-one meeting, had revitalized diplomatic and trade ties between Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Data from the Statistics Committee of the Ministry of National Economy of Kazakhstan provides evidence. Since 2017, there has been a steady decline in trade turnover between the countries. In 2017, its level was $74.8 million; in 2018 - $67.4 million; in 2019 - $59.9 million. In 2020, it fell to $29.3 million. COVID restrictions can explain such a sharp drop. In 2021, the turnover reached almost $61 million, but at the end of 2023, the trade volume jumped to $150 million. Therefore, when Tokayev said at a joint press briefing that he and the Mongolian president had agreed to turn over $500 million in the “foreseeable future,” this did not seem overly optimistic. The Kazakh delegation did not come empty-handed; during Tokayev's visit, the parties...

Healthcare

IDB to Fund $156.3 Million for Cancer Hospitals in Turkmenistan

Turkmenportal reported that a Turkmenistan delegation visited Washington DC from October 22 to 26 to participate in the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, along with related events. During the visit, representatives of Turkmenistan's financial and banking sector engaged in bilateral discussions with foreign partners. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has approved $156.3 million in funding to build three specialized cancer treatment hospitals in Turkmenistan. These modern facilities will be located in Balkanabad, Turkmenabad, and Mari, with a combined capacity to serve over 11,750 patients. The agreement was signed in a meeting between IDB President Muhammad Al Jasser and Rahimberdi Jepbarov, Chairman of the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan. Meanwhile, on October 24, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, in partnership with Nobel Almaty Pharmaceutical Factory, launched the production of innovative drugs in Almaty, Kazakhstan. This initiative is part of an agreement between Roche, Kazakhstan’s SK-Pharmacy, Nobel, and the Kazakh Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology, supported by Kazakh Invest. Under this collaboration, Roche will locally produce three biotechnological drugs to treat HER2-positive breast cancer, a highly aggressive form affecting up to 20% of breast cancer patients in Kazakhstan.