On January 11-12, 2020, the tenth anniversary Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was held in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi, at which delegates and the general public shared their success stories and future plans based on clean renewable energy.

This year at the beginning of a new decade the Assembly held a wide range of high-level sessions, with various focus from gender equality in the renewable energy industry to using hydrogen to decarbonize the economy and increase youth participation.

Along with the international community the Republic of Kazakhstan pays great attention to the development of the renewable energy sector in the country and currently significant investments are made in the renewable energy development.

Within the recent years the significant steps have been taken to improve the investment climate in the renewable energy sector, with the international practices considered, as well as thanks to the active implementation of state policy aimed at the adoption of systemic measures for the development of renewable energy

Currently in the Republic of Kazakhstan there are already 90 operating renewable energy facilities - 19 wind power plants, 31 solar power plants, 37 hydroelectric power plants and 3 biogas plants.

In 2019 the established capacity of existing renewable energy facilities doubled compared to 2018 and made up to 1,050.1 MW. The share of renewables in total electricity generated in 2019 was 2.3%.

It should be noted that for the first time in Kazakhstan there emerged large solar parks with a capacity of 100 MW, and in 2020 it is planned to introduce wind parks with a capacity of 100 MW.

Over the past two years the Republic of Kazakhstan with the active assistance of IRENA has been promoting a market auction mechanism for the selection of renewable energy projects, which has been highly praised by both international and national experts in terms of transparency, security and the simplicity of the rules for their implementation.

Thus, in November 2019 within the joint work of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the United Nations Development Program in Kazakhstan with the financial support of the Global Environment Facility, Financial Settlement Center of RE and KOREM JSC, there was held the first auction in Kazakhstan with the already developed technical documentation for the construction of a 50 MW solar power plant in the village of Shaulder, Turkestan region.

Today it is impossible to imagine the development and promotion of renewable energy technologies without cooperation and constant exchange of experience of the international experts’ community. Therefore, such major events as the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency give a new incentive for intellectual support and mutual enrichment of knowledge and experience of all countries interested in the development of renewable energy.