Fossil fuels account for 76 percent of total energy consumed in Kazakhstan, the head of the International Center for Green Technologies and Investment Projects said Thursday.
Rapil Zhoshybaev's remarks came during a conference held in capital Astana, titled 'Sustainable urban infrastructure in Kazakhstan: indicators of green construction'.
'Kazakhstan is the world's 12th biggest oil exporter, and it ranks 15th in terms of coal consumption,' Zhoshybaev said.
According to the official, the Central Asian country's dependence on fossil fuels create problems particularly in urban areas as it increases energy generation and consumption.
'The center is developing projects with the support of international organizations in order to solve this problem,' he said.
The official added that road maps had been created to develop green technologies in urban areas, and attract investment in infrastructure projects.
'We have also invited Chinese officials to Kazakhstan so that they could share their experience in preventing air pollution,' he said.
Also speaking at the conference, the UN Development Program's deputy resident representative in Kazakhstan, Vitalie Vremis, said the UNDP had helped attract 16 billion Kazakhistani tenge ($42.4 million) to the country to be invested in energy-efficient infrastructure projects.
Vremis added that several projects had been implemented in order to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, such as updating their lighting systems.
Kazakhstan aims to increase the share of renewable energy in total electricity generation to 3 percent by 2020, 6 percent by 2025, and 10 percent by 2030.
The country currently has 23 solar power plants, 20 wind power plants and more than 10 hydropower plants, which are expected to produce 2,000 MW of electricity by 2020.
Reporting by Aliia Raimbekova in Astana
Writing by Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
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