(KAZAKHSTAN)
Countries in central Asia have joined forces with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to help accelerate the region’s shift to a green future.
They released a Communiqué with IRENA yesterday at the Astana EXPO-2017, in Kazakhstan, outlining an action plan for the increased deployment of clean energy initiatives.
IRENA Director-General, Adnan Z. Amin said: “Covering over four million square kilometers, the countries of Central Asia are endowed with rich renewable energy sources that can drive sustainable economic development and growth. With renewable energy targets in place for 2020 and beyond, the region can now seize this transformative opportunity for a sustainable energy future, and the new Action Plan will help boost efforts of renewable energy uptake.”
The partnership will work to integrate more sustainable infrastructure and bring power to areas with limited access to energy.
“We recognise that renewable energy can help the region with the imperative to modernise its energy system and to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Kazakhstan welcomes the efforts made today. I believe the EXPO, over the next couple of months, will provide the international community with a platform for valuable discussions on expertise, innovative solutions and promising projects in the renewable energy field,” added Bozumbayev Kanat Aldabergenovich, Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister at the Energy Ministerial.
