ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 9. Energy sector is one of a major pillar of economy of Kazakhstan, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in an interview with the Euronews TV channel, Trend reports.
"Kazakhstan is very rich in terms of energy resources and there is no need to give up this kind of economic development," he said, adding that the country looks to put additional emphasis on development of this sector.
Kazakhstan is rich in energy resources, which, along with supplying the domestic market, also exports energy resources. In 2022, the country produced 84.2 million tons of oil, 64.3 million tons of which were exported. At the same time, the country exported 4.6 billion cubic meters of gas in 2022.
"At the same time, of course, we are very positive about making Kazakhstan a non-carbon country and I promise that by the end of 2060, Kazakhstan will be fully decarbonized," Tokayev said further.
According to him, it is a challenge.
"We need to make a huge mindset change, first of all. But, I do acknowledge that it is a general trend in the economic development of the whole world, and Kazakhstan is not going to lag behind. At the same time, we are very much committed to the protection of the environment. And yes, Kazakhstan is still a country which relies on coal in its energy balance. But, I think that in the near future, the whole situation will be changing quite positively," Tokayev noted.