ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 2. Kazakhstan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are preparing a new set of infrastructure and energy-sector projects, Trend reports via Kazakh PM's office.
Key projects under consideration include ADB financing for the construction of the Yesil counter-regulator on the Yesil River in the Akmola region. The two sides are also working on wastewater treatment plant upgrades in Zhezkazgan, Satpayev, Stepnogorsk, and Balkhash.
The plans were outlined during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev and Leah Gutierrez, ADB Director General for Central and West Asia. Discussions focused on upcoming investment plans in water supply, wastewater treatment, energy transition, and catastrophic risk insurance.
ADB representatives signaled interest in joining Kazakhstan’s National Project for the Modernization of the Energy and Utilities Sectors, which aims to accelerate upgrades in power infrastructure and improve service reliability. Both sides described the outlook for long-term cooperation as positive and said they expect to expand joint project planning in the coming months.
The ADB's stated interest in joining Kazakhstan's National Project for the Modernization of the Energy and Utilities Sectors places the bank at the center of the country's most ambitious infrastructure overhaul.
The National Project is designed to run from 2025 to 2029 and is budgeted at over 13 trillion tenge (more than $24 billion in total investment). The primary objective of this massive investment is to reduce the crippling wear and tear on aging networks, which currently exceeds 60% in many electricity supply regions and averages 53% in heat supply.
The project aims to reduce network depreciation by an average of 15% overall and includes plans to construct and repair 86,000 kilometers of utility networks. Moreover, one of the initiatives is an addition of 7.3 GW in new generation capacity by commissioning 15 new projects and modernizing 14 existing facilities.