Interview with SEDS Professor Yerbol Sarbasov about the Carbon Neutrality in Kazakhstan

Assistant Professor at the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences at Nazarbayev University, Yerbol Sarbassov, gave an interview as part of the special project "Kütpegen Qubylıs" on Qazaqstan TV. He discussed his research project aimed at achieving carbon neutrality in Kazakhstan.

Since the mid-20th century, Kazakhstan has experienced the effects of climate change: temperatures have risen by 0.28°C, and precipitation has decreased by 0.2 mm per decade. After a decline in energy use in the 1990s, greenhouse gas emissions grew with economic recovery in the 2000s, reaching 351.2 million tons of CO₂-equivalent in 2020—8% below 1990 levels, partly due to the pandemic.

The energy sector, responsible for 77.6% of emissions, relies on outdated plants with inefficiencies up to 35%. While coal accounts for 29.4% of the energy balance, it contributes 55.7% of emissions. By 2020, the average age of the country’s 179 power plants ranged from 40 to 56 years, with over a third operating for more than four decades, exacerbating energy losses and emissions.

Clean energy development began in the 1980s but was interrupted after the Soviet Union's collapse. Since 2016, Nazarbayev University's "Clean Energy" group, led by Professor Sarbasov, has revitalized this work, successfully implementing projects with support from major organizations and government bodies. His efforts are a key step toward carbon neutrality and addressing Kazakhstan's environmental challenges.