Maintaining Kazakhstan’s status as a big player in the hydrocarbon commodity market is key, however, the country must develop the production of alternative energy sources, actively seeking to introduce technologies using solar and wind power. By 2050 alternative and renewable energy sources must account for at least a half of the country’s total energy consumption.
All developed countries are increasingly investing in alternative and green energy technology. Estimates indicate that by 2050 their usage will help generate up to 50% of the entire energy consumed. The era of hydrocarbon economy is coming to its end. Kazakhstan faces the beginning of a new era where human activities will be based not so much on oil and gas, but on renewable energy sources. Kazakhstan is one of the key elements of global energy security.
A combination of unprecedented population and consumption growth and a finite level of natural resources will fuel both positive and negative outcomes. Kazakhstan has a number of advantages in this regard. The country has been blessed with abundant natural resources and other countries will need to rely on it for their resource needs. It is critical that citizens reconsider their attitude to the country’s natural wealth. We need to learn how to properly manage it, saving our export revenues and, most importantly, transforming our natural resources into sustainable economic growth that delivers maximum efficiency.