BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 15. Kazakhstan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) discussed further development of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in Kazakhstan.
This is reflected in the statement published by the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan.
According to the ministry, the discussions were held during a meeting between the Vice Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan, Bakhytzhan Ilyas, and representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
"The meeting was attended by Felicity Sporse, Director of the EBRD's Climate Strategy and Implementation Department and Head of the Sustainable Infrastructure Group; Yerlan Ramazanov, EBRD Deputy Head of Kazakhstan and Regional Head of Energy in Eurasia; Christian Carraretto, Deputy Director of the Climate Strategy and Implementation Department and Head of the Energy Transition Unit; Maira Karasayeva, Leading Expert on Regional Policy and Strategy; Aigerim Salykbay, Analyst on Regional Policy and Strategy; Ilyas Akhetov, Banker in the Energy Resources Department; and Alexandra Nigay, translator," the statement of the ministry says.
Opening the meeting, Vice Minister Ilyas noted that the JETP serves as an important instrument for Kazakhstan to achieve its national climate goals, attract green investments, and integrate advanced technologies while ensuring the sustainable development of the country's power sector.
The sides focused heavily on institutionalizing the partnership in Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Energy emphasized the necessity of solidifying the platform's core operating principles and mechanisms in regulatory and legal frameworks to establish transparent interaction rules for all stakeholders and secure a stable foundation for the initiative's long-term deployment.
During the negotiations, the delegations reviewed the next steps for structuring the JETP project portfolio and developing cooperation mechanisms with international partners. The Ministry of Energy welcomed the EBRD's readiness to assist in building the partnership's institutional framework and expressed keen interest in receiving the bank's expert advisory support while drafting the necessary regulatory and organizational structures.
Concluding the talks, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing collaboration and agreed on further steps to systematically advance the Just Energy Transition Partnership in Kazakhstan.
Meanwhile, in a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso announced that the EBRD expects its total investment in Kazakhstan to reach 1.3 billion euros this year.
"Kazakhstan is one of the EBRD's most important countries of operation. This year, we are seeing a very high level of investment activity. We have already signed agreements for projects worth more than $1 billion. Taking into account the projects currently under preparation, we expect our total investment this year to reach 1.3 billion euros. This will be the highest annual investment volume in the history of the EBRD's operations in Kazakhstan," Renaud-Basso said.
Meanwhile, EBRD Director and Head of Energy Eurasia (covering Türkiye, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia), Sule Kilic, told Trend in an exclusive interview that the bank has mobilized 4.2 billion euros for Central Asia's energy sector and financed more than 6.5 GW of renewable energy capacity across the region, helping integrate solar and wind generation into national power systems.
Speaking about Kazakhstan, Kilic said the country's national grid operator, KEGOC, remains one of the EBRD's key partners.
"Since the 1990s, we have supported seven KEGOC projects, most recently the Integration of the West Zone Project, which connects the previously isolated western power zone with the rest of the country via more than 600 kilometres of high-voltage transmission lines," she said.
