(Read the full article on astanatimes.com)

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reiterated Kazakhstan’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 and called for greater efforts to ensure the country’s electricity is generated from more environmentally friendly sources at the meeting that reviewed the country’s gas industry, THE ASTANA TIMES reported citing Akorda press service.

Achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, however, will require structural, industrial, and economic changes.

“I am instructing the government to increase the volume of gas generation by one and a half times by 2030, from 21 to 33 billion kilowatt-hours. Gas should occupy at least a quarter of the country’s energy balance. The share of renewable sources of energy must reach 15 percent by then. By the end of this decade, almost half of the country’s electricity will be generated from more environmentally friendly sources,” said Tokayev addressing the senior officials overseeing the sector.

Tokayev said the gas industry is important for the country’s social and economic development.

“Gas consumption in the country is growing every year, but the rate of gas production does not match this growth. New projects are launched to convert industrial facilities to gas. The number of the population consuming blue fuel is growing. Therefore, the demand for gas will only grow and the supply must meet the demand,” said Tokayev.