Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, at the expanded session of the Government chaired by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reported on the work being carried out to develop the infrastructure of special economic zones and industrial zones, address energy shortages, develop industry, and attract investment, primeminister.kz reports.
In special economic zones, the average level of infrastructure provision stands at only 53%, while in industrial zones it is 48%. In this regard, the Government is taking a number of measures to accelerate infrastructure development in SEZs and IZs.
The necessary decisions have been taken to ensure 100% infrastructure provision for SEZs and IZs. Over the next three years, large-scale investments totaling 1 trillion tenge will be made in the construction of infrastructure for special economic and industrial zones through the привлечения of funds from the Islamic Development Bank," Olzhas Bektenov emphasized.
The Prime Minister also reported that this year Kazakhstan will commission 2.6 GW of conventional and renewable energy capacity, which will make it possible to resolve the issue of energy shortages in the first quarter of next year. At present, during peak hours the country continues to experience an electricity deficit, which is covered through imports. Over the past year, the deficit has been reduced by 29%, but it remains significant.
The new tariff policy restores fair market conditions in regulated services. Predictable tariffs are once again attracting private investment into the housing and utilities sector. For example, 655 billion tenge was attracted to the energy sector last year, and around 900 billion tenge is expected to be attracted this year. Overall, electricity generation is expected to increase by 39 billion kilowatt-hours by 2029.
As part of the strategic course to ensure energy sovereignty and cover the growing capacity deficit, the Government, in accordance with the President’s instructions, is carrying out comprehensive work to commission more than 26 GW of new generating capacity by 2035, with key emphasis placed on the development of nuclear and "clean coal" generation.
Olzhas Bektenov reported to the Head of State on the measures being taken to develop transport and logistics infrastructure and increase the country’s transit potential. This year, construction of two railway lines with a total length of 475 km will be completed, along with the modernization of 2.9 thousand km of tracks. This will allow transit traffic volumes to increase by 60%, while the speed of transit container trains will reach 50 km per hour. For example, by the end of this year, the delivery time for cargo from the border of the People’s Republic of China to the Caspian Sea will be reduced from 84 hours to 55 hours. Construction and reconstruction works will be carried out on 11 thousand kilometers of roads.
At the same time, a number of factors constraining the dynamic development of transit potential were identified. One of them remains the high level of wear of railway infrastructure. In this regard, implementation of a comprehensive program for modernization of the main railway network remains under constant Government control.
Attention was also paid to the development of the aviation sector, including infrastructure. This year, construction of a second runway at Astana airport will begin. Commissioning of the second runway will make it possible to begin major repairs of the first runway, which has not been renovated for more than 20 years. This will increase the capital’s airport capacity fourfold, to 40 million passengers. In July of this year, reconstruction of the domestic terminal at Almaty airport will be completed. Capacity will increase from 14 million to 19 million passengers. Construction and installation works will begin to modernize the runway. On the President’s instructions, conditions have been created for the formation of market-based aviation fuel prices. As a result, the price of aviation fuel has decreased from $1.2 thousand to approximately $950. This has increased the attractiveness of Kazakhstan’s airspace for foreign airlines.
With regard to investment policy, it was noted that foreign direct investment increased by $1.5 billion, or 10.9%, over nine months, reaching $14.9 billion. At the same time, taking into account portfolio investments and borrowed funds, the inflow of foreign capital into Kazakhstan amounted to more than $58 billion. Investment in fixed capital grew by 13%, reaching 22.7 trillion tenge. Of this amount, public investment increased by 800 billion tenge (to 5 trillion tenge), while private investment grew by 2.4 trillion tenge (to 17.7 trillion tenge). Special attention was paid to the role of the Investment Headquarters. By the end of 2025, with its assistance, problematic issues related to 212 projects with a total value of $115 billion had been resolved.
The Prime Minister emphasized that, in accordance with the tasks set by the President, the system for attracting investors is being improved. Projects are supported from the initial initiative through to completion of construction under the "green corridor" principle:
- by a decree of the Head of State, the functions of the investment ombudsman have been assigned to the Prosecutor General. Prosecutorial oversight has strengthened legal support measures for investors;
- the Baiterek holding has begun a proactive search for large investors interested in implementing major projects in Kazakhstan;
- to strengthen the external investment attraction framework, foreign representative offices of Kazakh Invest will be opened in countries with high investment potential.
The newly created Alatau City, established on the initiative of the Head of State, will become a new center for attracting investment. The draft constitutional law includes provisions for a special legal regime and the introduction of modern governance and urban planning standards.
The Prime Minister also addressed issues related to stimulating the development of the manufacturing industry. It was noted that the current growth rates of manufacturing are insufficient for full economic diversification. To provide the necessary momentum, projects are being implemented that stimulate the development of manufacturing enterprises. At present, projects with high added value in metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and the agro-industrial complex continue to be implemented through financing mechanisms of the Baiterek holding.
Relevant ministries have been tasked with proactively addressing issues related to launching further-stage processing facilities. Overall, more than 200 new industrial facilities were commissioned last year, and the same number are currently at the final stage of construction," Olzhas Bektenov emphasized.
To ensure sustainable growth in investment in manufacturing, the economy must be supplied with raw materials; therefore, special attention will be paid to the development of geological exploration. In 2025, work began on developing a detailed geological map at a scale of 1:50,000 to replace the existing 1:200,000 map developed during the Soviet period.
In accordance with the President’s instructions, the state will invest around $500 million in geological exploration over the next three years. For comparison, $760 million was invested over the past 30 years. As a result, 100 thousand square kilometers of territory will be studied in the most promising areas, from seismic surveys to aerogeophysics. Subsequently, an additional 30 thousand square kilometers will be explored each year.
To expand the raw material base, private investment is also being attracted to geological exploration. Since 2023, more than $500 million has been invested in the sector.
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