Kazakhstan is ready to consider Turkmenistan’s proposal for the supply of electricity and gas to ensure energy security and taking into account commercial attractiveness. This was stated at a press conference on Tuesday, 26 March, by country’s Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev, according to Kazakh news outlets.
“We have regular consultations with all our colleagues from Central Asian countries regarding the mutual exchange and supply of energy resources. In general, Turkmenistan has the capacity to supply electricity. Exports to the Kyrgyz Republic are already underway,” the Minister said.
“We will proceed from our needs, from the schedule of our repairs. We’re ready to evaluate proposals from Turkmenistan on both gas and electricity, as long as the terms are commercially attractive for our consumers,” he added.
Satkaliyev clarified that Kazakhstan has not yet received an official offer from Turkmenistan.
“We will probably instruct KazMunaiGas and KEGOC to work out these points related to the implementation of these proposals. It depends on commercial arrangements,” he said.
Earlier, Officials at KEGOC, the national electric grid management company, anticipate a deficit of roughly 1,025 GW between October 2024 and March 2025.
In general, according to KEGOC, the projected balance of electric power for 2024-2030 is developing with a significant deficit of up to 6.2 GW by 2030.
Turkmenistan has repeatedly stated about the possibilities of supplying electricity and gas to Kazakhstan.
In November 2023, the National leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, at a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, confirmed Turkmenistan’s readiness to intensify bilateral dialogue on the supply of Turkmen natural gas to Kazakhstan. At that time, the expediency of organizing a meeting between the relevant ministries and companies of the two countries in the near future was noted.
Moreover, Turkmenistan is building a 1,574 MW power plant in the Balkan province, about 250 kilometers from the Turkmen-Kazakh border. As Berdimuhamedov said, at the time, this “would offer an additional option for delivering Turkmen electricity to Kazakhstan.”
In mid-March 2024, at a meeting of the OTS Elders Council in Ashgabat, Berdimuhamedov reiterated the “good opportunities” for exporting energy resources to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Türkiye. He stressed the potential benefits of geographical proximity and existing infrastructure for all Turkic states.