Since its commissioning in 2021, the 100-megawatt Zhanatas Wind Power Project in Kazakhstan has been steadily delivering green electricity to households across southern Kazakhstan through the joint efforts of Chinese and Kazakhstani staff, significantly alleviating local power shortages.
Beyond Kazakhstan, Central Asian nations collectively possess abundant resources such as wind, solar, and hydropower, offering substantial advantages for renewable energy development. In recent years, these countries have actively introduced supportive policies to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy industries, driving energy transition and green development.
Significant Development Potential
The World Bank’s latest report indicates that Central Asia possesses significant potential for solar and wind power generation. Expanding renewable energy utilization is a crucial pathway to diversify the energy mix and enhance the security of the energy system. Each of the five Central Asian countries has distinct characteristics and advantages in developing renewable energy.
Uzbekistan enjoys over 300 sunny days annually. The World Bank estimates its total annual solar energy intake equates to approximately 51 billion tons of oil equivalent. According to the International Energy Agency, Tajikistan ranks eighth globally in hydropower potential, estimated at around 527 billion kilowatt-hours per year. The United Nations Development Programme calculates Kazakhstan’s wind power potential alone reaches 920 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Kyrgyzstan possesses abundant hydropower resources, with over 80 operational hydropower stations supplying 94% of the nation’s electricity. Shell’s Global Energy Resources Database indicates Turkmenistan ranks 30th globally in onshore wind energy potential, demonstrating significant advantages for wind power development.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reports that Central Asian nations are steadily increasing their renewable energy generation capacity, with Kazakhstan and Tajikistan emerging as regional leaders. Kazakhstan has seen the most significant growth, expanding its new energy installed capacity from 2,734 megawatts in 2014 to 5,663 megawatts in 2023. Tajikistan’s renewable energy installed capacity has reached 5,763 megawatts.
However, there remains significant room for improvement in the utilization rate of renewable energy and its share in electricity supply across Central Asian countries. A report by the Regional Economic Cooperation Organization (RECO) indicates that despite the presence of several energy-intensive economies in the region and substantial potential for renewable energy development, the average installed capacity of solar and wind power currently accounts for less than 5% of exploitable resources. Specifically, photovoltaic power generation constitutes less than 2% of Uzbekistan’s energy mix, while Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan utilize only 4% and 10% of their hydropower potential, respectively.
Tatyana Proskuryakova, World Bank Country Director for Central Asia, believes that Central Asian countries possess all the prerequisites to ensure energy security by increasing renewable energy use and developing regional electricity trade. By 2030, the region’s renewable energy demand is projected to grow by over 30%. Through coordinated and proactive efforts, the region has the potential to become a “model for renewable energy development.”
Policy Measures Introduced
Currently, Central Asian nations are prioritizing green, low-carbon, and sustainable development as key directions for economic and energy reforms, actively addressing climate change challenges by accelerating the deployment of renewable energy. On May 11 this year, Uzbekistan’s Zeravshan Wind Power Project successfully completed 240 hours of full-scale reliability operation. As the nation’s first large-scale wind power project, it boasts a total installed capacity of 521.7 megawatts. Upon completion, it will provide green electricity to 500,000 households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.1 million tons annually.
In Kazakhstan, recent data released by the Ministry of Energy indicates that renewable energy accounted for 6.43% of the country’s total electricity generation in 2024, a significant increase from 3% in 2020. Kazakhstan has formulated its “Low-Carbon Development Vision to 2050,” aiming to promote renewable energy sources such as biofuels and hydrogen energy, along with “green and waste-free” technologies. The nation strives to increase the share of renewable energy in power generation to 15% by 2030, 50% by 2050, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Tajikistan has formulated its Renewable Energy Plan for 2023–2027, vigorously developing renewable energy sources such as hydropower, solar, and wind energy. The plan aims to attract approximately 1.6 billion Tajikistani somoni in foreign investment. Uzbekistan adopted the “Strategy for Transition to a Green Economy in Uzbekistan for 2019–2030” in 2019, proposing to strengthen the construction of renewable energy power generation projects including photovoltaic, wind, hydropower, and biogas. The plan aims to increase the share of renewable energy power generation to over 25% by 2030. Turkmenistan formulated the National Strategy for Renewable Energy Development until 2030, aiming to further develop renewable energy, ensure energy security, and set greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for key economic sectors by 2030.
The Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation mechanism noted in its 2030 Energy Strategy that the region’s energy investment needs amount to approximately $400 billion, while current investment levels cover only about one-quarter of the total demand, indicating a significant gap. To attract more investment into the renewable energy sector, Kazakhstan provides financial subsidies for new energy project construction, covering pre-construction phases, equipment procurement, and technological R&D to reduce construction costs and investment risks. Uzbekistan has revised relevant tax laws to exempt renewable energy power plants above 0.1 megawatts from property and land taxes for 10 years, while also focusing on attracting private sector participation to accelerate the adoption of low-carbon technologies.
