EU invested 500 mln in Kazakhstan clean energy
According to the Secretary General of the European Investment Bank Klaus Trömel, the latest 100 million euros transaction was made last week.
"We try to move from the supply of exclusively oil and uranium from Kazakhstan (the supply of uranium to the European Union from Kazakhstan takes about 21% of the total). We plan to develop renewable energy sources. Of course, there are many already implemented, as well as ongoing projects. Over the past five years, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and European Investment Bank provided 500 million euros for the development of projects in the field of clean energy and renewable energy. Today, the EU focuses on building energy-efficient buildings," said Deputy Director General of the Energy Directorate Gerasimos Thomas on the sidelines of the forum as part of EXPO-2017 in Astana.
He noted that the European Union is the largest foreign investor in Kazakhstan. And EU member states' interest towards Kazakhstan is growing.
"Astana is definitely a new and innovative city. Along with the Kazakh government policies, it has a very great potential for development. But at the same time, it is necessary to develop not only Astana but also pay attention to the modernization of other cities and environmentally friendly solutions during construction. At the same time, energy efficiency refers not only to buildings and cities, it can be applied in any field, be it the development of agriculture, small and medium-sized businesses or civil society," added Gerasimos Thomas.