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The Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has announced plans to build 20 new reservoirs with a capacity of 2.5 billion cubic meters by 2030. During the first stage, ten reservoirs will be constructed in the regions of Akmola, West Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda and Zhetisu, and in the south, two more reservoirs will complement that of Kensai-Koskorgan-2 , already in operation in the Turkestan region. The installation of eight new reservoirs will then follow elsewhere. Once completed, the project will reduce the country's dependence on water flowing from upstream Kyrgyzstan and China by 25%, help combat drought in southern Kazakhstan and conversely, reduce the threat of flooding in 70 rural settlements with a total population of 137 thousand people. In addition, irrigation will be provided for a further 250 thousand hectares of farmland. Plans are also in place to reconstruct 15 existing reservoirs with a total capacity of 1.9 billion cubic meters, with work on six reservoirs in Aktobe, West Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Kostanay, Turkestan regions and the city of Astana, scheduled to start this year.
On April 27, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin, Director General of the Agency of Transport and Communications of Turkmenistan Mammetkhan Chakiyev, and Minister of Trade and Industry of the Afghan Taliban government Nuriddin Azizi met in Kabul. During negotiations, an agreement was made to develop more favourable and competitive tariffs for the passage of container trains from China through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, and further afield to Pakistan, India, and Middle Eastern countries. To support the initiative, Afghan businesses have been invited to use the Kazakh terminal in China’s Xi'an Dry Port to consolidate goods for transport by rail. According to preliminary calculations, the delivery time for goods via the accelerated, uninterrupted route from Xi'an/Urumqi in China to Turgundi and Andkhoy in Afghanistan will be reduced to just 10-12 days, at a cost significantly cheaper than alternative modes of transport. Since the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan route could also be used for transporting goods from Russia and Belarus to India and the Middle East, it provides added impetus for the development of the North-South transport corridor.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy, the country’s production of natural gas which has been has steadily growing in recent years, is expected to reach 60.456 billion m3 in 2024. More than 85% of natural gas in Kazakhstan is produced by the Tengiz (27%), Karachaganak (38%) and Kashagan (20%) projects. In 2023, natural gas production in Kazakhstan totaled 59.063 billion m3, including 16.009 billion m3 at Tengiz, 22.385 billion m3 at Karachaganak, and 11.856 billion m3 at Kashagan. Domestic consumption in 2024 is intended to reach 20.9 billion m3.
From the end of May the U.S. will restrict exports of all firearms to non-government entities in high-risk countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce. According to the statement, the Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued a regulation “amending the Department’s licensing policy for exports of firearms, ammunition, and related components under its jurisdiction.” The decision concerns export to non-governmental organizations. Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are among 36 countries included on the list of high-risk nations. As part of the new changes to the regulations, the administration is also shortening the validity period of arms export licenses to one year from four years. The changes are aimed at reducing the risk of increasing instability in the regions of the world through the illicit use of American weapons.
Two new Kazakh-British business agreements were signed off during UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s visit to Kazakhstan on 24 April. The first, between AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Healthcare, Almaty City Administration and Kazakh Invest, aims to implement an investment project for contract manufacturing of biotechnological products in Kazakhstan. According to Kazakh Invest, the agreement represents a significant step towards Kazakhstan’s goal to increase its share of domestically- produced medicines in the local market to 50%. The second deal, signed by the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan and British company Car Park Transformer, makes provision for the construction of roadside service facilities on Kazakhstan’s national and international highways. Comprising 250 service stations equipped with restrooms, retail spaces, as well as electric vehicle charging points, the project aims to provide essential services and enhance the comfort of motorists.
The Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan has announced that a further 250 Starlink terminals have been sent to rural schools in three of the country’s regions. Akmola received 138 terminals; Zhambyl, 53, and Zhetysu, 55. Starlink terminals have also been installed in 48 schools in flood-hit regions to ensure uninterrupted education and today, 502 rural schools across the country, have access to an average Internet speed of 200 Mbit/s. The provision of high-speed Internet and the development of digital projects in rural schools is a long-standing priority and last week, to progress the initiative, the Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Musin met representatives of SpaceX to discuss its expansion of Starlink technology throughout Kazakhstan.
