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The first meeting of energy ministers was held as part of the sixth consultative meeting of the leaders of the Central Asian nations. At the meeting in Astana, Uzbekistan announced that it could begin exporting excess electricity to Europe by 2030. According to the Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan, Jorabek Mirzamahmudov, if the tripartite project of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan on the transmission of the cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea is successfully implemented, Uzbekistan will be able to transfer excess electricity. “By the end of this year, we will increase the total energy capacity obtained from renewable energy sources to the level of more than 4 GW. By 2030, this indicator will exceed 20 GW, of which 2–5 GW of energy will be exported to Europe,” the minister said. According to Mirzamahmudov, the exact volume of exports will depend on the electricity transmission system's capacity and European buyers' needs. Mirzamahmudov also stated that Uzbekistan’s electricity would pass through Kazakhstan through the unified energy system of Central Asia, through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, from there to Georgia, and then through the Black Sea to Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Following Uzbekistan's development strategy, the total generation capacity will be increased by 2.4 times (44.9 GW) by 2030. At the same time, the share of renewable energy sources will be increased to 40%. For this purpose, solar and wind energy production projects with a total capacity of 18.8 GW (8.6 GW solar, 10.2 GW wind) will be implemented.
On August 6, Astana hosted the first meeting of energy ministers of Central Asian states, chaired by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy Almasadam Satkaliyev. Noting the considerable potential for developing energy cooperation between the five Central Asian countries, Minister Satkaliyev stated that today, the challenges faced by the Central Asian countries include global disruptions of the stability of energy supplies and fluctuations in oil and gas prices. "To ensure the reliability of energy supplies, it is necessary to develop mechanisms for forecasting and managing these challenges and to strengthen cooperation between our countries," ventured Satkaliyev. Calling on his colleagues to strengthen cooperation in energy trade, speed up low-carbon development, and move towards achieving carbon neutrality, the minister stressed, "An important factor in the development of regional cooperation is the comprehensive attraction of investments and the implementation of large joint technological projects in the energy sector to stimulate the development of modern energy infrastructure in Central Asian countries." Satkaliyev added that Kazakhstan is currently progressing the implementation of a large-scale project in the development and transmission of green energy with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, as well as continuing discussions on the planned construction of a central hydroelectric power plant, Kambarata HPP-1, with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Following the meeting, the Central Asian energy ministers signed a communiqué, laying the foundation for further cooperation in all key energy areas between the countries.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on August 6 that it had approved a $21 million grant as additional financing to modernize the Golovnaya hydropower plant in Tajikistan. The additional financing will replace the power generation unit 4 at the Golovnaya hydropower plant. Unit 4, which was not part of ADB’s original project approved in 2013, ceased operations in 2019 due to damage to its mechanical equipment. ADB’s original project provided a $136 million grant to replace five of the plant’s six power generation units. It also rehabilitated switchyards at the Golovnaya hydropower plant, modernized the Vose substation, and constructed the Rudaki substation and a transmission line connecting the Rudaki and Vose substations in southern Tajikistan. The hydropower plant’s modernization will increase its installed capacity from 240 megawatts in 2012 to 274 megawatts by 2026. ADB Director General for Central and West Asia, Yevgeniy Zhukov, commented: “The electricity from the Golovnaya hydropower plant goes to national and regional grids, benefiting Tajikistan and neighboring countries. ADB’s support improves regional energy security, contributing to inclusive, sustainable economic growth and balanced regional development.” Late in December 2023, Tajik president Emomali Rahmon stated that Tajikistan’s energy capacity exceeded 6,000 megawatts in 2023, and electricity production amounted to 22 billion kilowatt-hours, 4.8 billion kilowatt-hours or 28% more than in 2017. Rahmon also said that by 2032, electricity production in the country would be entirely from renewable sources; that is, 100% will be provided by “green energy, and Tajikistan will truly become a green country.”
On August 2, the volume of water in the reservoir of Kyrgyzstan's Toktogul hydroelectric power plant reached 11.922 billion cubic meters, which according to the plant's operator Electric Stations OJSC, is almost one billion cubic meters more than that recorded on August 1, 2023. Located on the Naryn River, which feeds the Syr Darya River that flows to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Toktogul HPP is the largest power plant in Kyrgyzstan and generates some 40% of the country’s electricity. The Toktogul reservoir currently receives 840 cubic meters of water per second and releases 475 cubic meters per second. The released water is used to generate electricity and then flows to downstream countries where it is used for irrigation. The reservoir has a maximum capacity of 19.5 billion cubic meters, with an average volume is 17.3 billion cubic meters, and the "dead" level at which the power plant would stop operating is 5.5 billion cubic meters. As reported by 24.kg news agency, Electric Stations OJSC expects the volume of water in the Toktogul reservoir to reach 12.5 billion cubic meters at the beginning of the next heating season (October 1, 2024) and at the end of 2024/25 season, fall to around 7.9 billion cubic meters. Toktogul HPP comprises four hydroelectric units with a total generating capacity of 1320 MW and on completion of the modernization of hydroelectric unit #1, later this year, the capacity will increase by 60 MW and reach 1380 MW. In recent years, because Kyrgyzstan has been unable to produce enough electricity to meet the country's growing demand, electricity has been imported from neighbouring states.
The Kazakh minister for energy, Almasadam Satkaliyev, reported on July 29 that the country produced 60.4 billion kWh in the first half of 2024. The minister also reported on developing renewable energy sources, which accounted for almost 6.5% of the country’s electricity generation in the first six months of the year. According to the Ministry of Energy, Kazakhstan has 148 renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of 2,903 MW. These include 59 wind power plants with a total capacity of 1,409 MW; 46 solar power plants with a capacity of 1,222 MW; 40 hydroelectric power plants with a capacity of 269.7 MW; and three biogas power plants with a capacity of 1.7 MW. In the first half of 2024, these renewable energy facilities generated 3.896 billion kWh of electricity (wind power plants -- 2.325 billion kWh; solar power plants -- 974.9 million kWh; hydroelectric power plants -- 595.3 million kWh; and biogas plants -- 0.43 million kWh), or 6.47% of the total electricity production volume. Satkaliyev also reported that in the first half of 2024, Kazakhstan produced 44.7 million tons of crude oil, 6.78 million tons of petroleum products, and 30.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
DW shares that Germany has adopted a strategy for importing hydrogen (H2), which is good news for Kazakhstan and a challenge for Russia. The document, approved on July 24, reportedly outlines plans to replace fossil natural gas with renewable hydrogen. Berlin promises a stable market for H2 producers, as Europe's largest economy intends to increase its imports due to the lack of domestic production capacity. Private companies in Germany plan to build a hydrogen pipeline network of about 10,000 kilometers by 2032. Around 40% of this network will be built specifically for hydrogen, while 60% will be adapted gas pipelines. One of these pipelines will be one of the two pipelines previously laid from Lubmin on the Baltic coast to the Czech border, initially intended for Russian gas from Nord Stream. Germany plans to import 50-70% of its hydrogen needs by 2030, between 95 and 130 terawatt-hours (about 9.5-13 billion cubic meters of natural gas). That's about as much as Gazprom plans to deliver to the EU this year via the Ukrainian route. Hydrogen demand could reach 500 terawatt-hours by 2045, comparable to the amount of gas supplied through the first Nord Stream before the war in Ukraine. These plans preclude renewed gas cooperation with Russia, as infrastructure would be adapted to replace natural gas with hydrogen, signaling a long-term change in Germany's energy policy and a shift from Russian gas. With its ideal conditions for green hydrogen production in the country's west, Kazakhstan could become a key supplier for Germany. The strategy envisions a wide range of suppliers to avoid dependence on a single source. Around 40 countries are listed as potential partners, including Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Germany already has specific cooperation agreements with 15 of these countries. The German economy is preparing to import hydrogen in various forms: gaseous, liquefied, or in the form of hydrogen-containing chemicals such as ammonia and methanol. This diversifies sources and minimizes the risks of dependence on individual suppliers. Germany's hydrogen import strategy thus presents significant opportunities for Kazakhstan and other partner countries, creating new prospects for hydrogen exports. At the same time, it presents severe challenges for Russia, limiting its role in Germany's future energy market.
