Kazakhstan’s renewable energy share has surged fourfold over the past six years, approaching 8 percent of the national electricity mix by August 2026. Driven by new wind and solar capacity, government auctions, and major international investments like the EBRD-backed QaJET platform, Kazakhstan is actively working to eliminate domestic electricity deficits.
How Kazakhstan Doubled Down on Wind and Solar Infrastructure
The Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported that the share of electricity generated from renewable energy sources climbed from roughly 2 percent six years ago to nearly 8 percent. By the close of 2025, renewables accounted for 7 percent of total generation, producing 8.6 billion kWh out of a nationwide total of approximately 123.1 billion kWh. Additional commissioning in 2026 has pushed these metrics even higher.
Growth is anchored by a rapidly expanding fleet of generation assets. According to official data, Kazakhstan currently hosts 172 renewable energy facilities with a combined capacity exceeding 3.8 GW. This portfolio includes 71 wind farms, 54 solar power plants, 44 hydropower facilities, and three biogas installations.
In 2025 alone, nine new renewable facilities totaling 503.5 MW came online, comprising 387 MW of wind, 90 MW of solar, and 26 MW of hydro. Momentum has persisted into mid-August 2026, with seven out of ten planned facilities—representing 212 MW of a targeted 245 MW—already operational, pushing expected annual green generation to 8.8 billion kWh.
Global Capital and the 20 Billion Euro Transition Platform
Domestic ambitions are heavily reinforced by foreign direct investment and multilateral development banks. In an exclusive interview with Trend, EBRD Director and Head of Energy Eurasia Sule Kılıc noted that the bank has mobilized 4.2 billion euros for Central Asia’s energy sector, financing over 6.5 GW of installed renewable capacity across the region.
“We are the largest investors in renewable energy in Central Asia, having financed more than 6.5 gigawatts of installed renewable capacity to date and mobilised 4.2 billion euros for the region’s energy sector,” Kılıc stated.
Beyond generation, international financing targets the physical backbone of the grid. The EBRD has a long-standing partnership with national grid operator KEGOC, supporting projects such as the Integration of the West Zone Project, which unites the previously isolated western grid with the rest of the country via 600 kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines. Furthermore, an April 2026 memorandum established the Just Energy Transition Investment Platform (QaJET), designed to mobilize up to 20 billion euros to deploy 10 GW of renewables by 2035, starting with TotalEnergies’ 1-GW Mirny Wind project equipped with a 300-MW battery storage system.
Key Metrics of Kazakhstan’s Renewable Sector Expansion
| Metric / Indicator | Data / Status |
|---|---|
| Current Renewable Share | Approaching 8% (up from ~2% six years ago) |
| 2025 Generation Output | 8.6 billion kWh (approx. 7% of 123.1 billion kWh total) |
| Total Operating RES Facilities | 172 facilities exceeding 3.8 GW capacity |
| Facility Breakdown | 71 wind farms, 54 solar plants, 44 hydro plants, 3 biogas plants |
| 2026 Expansion Target | 10 facilities totaling 245 MW (7 commissioned by mid-August) |
| Future Pipeline | ~100 projects (3.6 GW) plus 4 GW under development |
Looking Past the Deficit: The Road to Energy Independence
But there is a catch. While green generation scales upward, Kazakhstan faces immediate structural demands to eliminate its electricity deficit by 2027.
To mitigate these risks, the upcoming project pipeline includes roughly 100 projects with a combined capacity of 3.6 GW, alongside another 4 GW of large-scale green initiatives currently under development. Crucially, this pipeline features 1 GW of projects integrated with advanced battery energy storage systems. As transmission upgrades catch up with generation capacity, Kazakhstan is positioning itself not just to solve domestic shortfalls, but to eventually export surplus electricity.
