Kazakhstan to Stop Importing Russian Electricity by 2027

© изображение сгенерировано ИИ

Kazakhstan is on track to end its reliance on Russian electricity imports within the next few years, according to a statement by Deputy Energy Minister Sungat Esimkhanov, as reported by TASS.

If all planned energy projects are completed on schedule, the country will be able to meet its domestic demand through its own generation capacity by 2027, making Russian electricity imports unnecessary.

In recent years, Kazakhstan has had to import electricity due to insufficient domestic capacity. However, the shortfall is gradually decreasing: while it was estimated at 2.1 billion kWh in 2024, it is projected to drop to around 1.5 billion kWh in 2025. By 2026, the difference between production and consumption is expected to be around 1-1.2 billion kWh, with plans to achieve balance thereafter.

Earlier, Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhanov had announced that Kazakhstan aims to fully meet its electricity needs through new capacity additions by the end of the first quarter of 2027.

Currently, the country is implementing a large-scale energy development program, with dozens of projects totaling over 15 GW and investments exceeding 13 trillion tenge ($28 billion). These measures are expected not only to eliminate the deficit but also to enhance the resilience of the energy system.