The XII Kazenergy Eurasian Forum aims to consolidate expert opinions on the further development of Kazakhstan's energy industry. The forum was attended by 2.5 thousand delegates from more than 50 countries.

At the opening ceremony of the forum, Prime Minister Askar Mamin noted that Kazakhstan is increasing the efficiency and productivity of traditional energy sources, and is also steadily strengthening its position as a regional leader in the field of renewable energy sources.

“Since the Expo in Astana in 2017, Kazakhstan has achieved significant success in introducing comprehensive green measures into the economy. To date, we have expanded our portfolio of renewable energy sources to more than 3,000 megawatts. In the first 6 months of 2019 alone, production in the sector increased by 31.7%,” said the prime minister of Kazakhstan.

The official opening ceremony of the forum was also attended by OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo, Chairman of the Board of Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund Akhmetzhan Yessimov, Chairman of the Arctic Circle International Forum, ex-President of Iceland (1996-2016) Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson.

The opening ceremony was continued by the plenary session “Future of Energy Sources: Innovative Growth,’ during which questions were discussed regarding the situation on the world energy market in the coming decades, namely, conjugation with a new transformation in the era of global challenges - which direction will shift the geography and structure of demand for energy, how much will the energy dependence grow between different parts of the planet? The participants in the session drew attention to the role of international partnership in overcoming challenges, as well as the importance of national projects as the basis for future growth.

During the plenary session, Chairman of the Board of Samruk-Kazyna Fund Akhmetzhan Yessimov emphasized that the energy sector is very important for each state. It has an impact on national security.

The OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo, in turn, thanked the Government of Kazakhstan for its effective support and active participation in the OPEC Declaration of Cooperation.

“I am very grateful for the significant contribution of Kazakhstan. We will continue to look for opportunities for joint activities in ensuring stability of the global market,” said Barkindo.

The OPEC secretary general also noted the high energy potential of Kazakhstan.

The chairman of the Arctic Circle international forum, the ex-president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson, in his speech named the main challenge of the 21st century – the problem of heating and cooling cities in which ⅔ of the world population will live in the future.

According to him, the challenge is demonstrated by two very clear facts. The first fact is that today more than half of the world's population lives in cities. After 20 years, already ⅔ of the world population will live in megacities in Asia, Africa, and America. The second fact – 40-50% of the energy that is produced in the world goes to heating and cooling cities. While transport, including cars, is only 20%.

An interactive discussion entitled “Future of Oil: Reality and Forecasts” was held at the forum site, where issues of oil consumption in the world, the geography of oil supply and demand in the coming years, as well as further cooperation within OPEC were discussed. Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev, Secretary General of OPEC Mohammad Barkindo, Chairman of the Management Board of KazMunayGas National Company Alik Aidarbayev, Senior Vice President of ExxonMobil Upstream Oil & Gas Thomas Schuessler, General Director of Eni S.p.A. Alessandro Puliti and other representatives of world’s oil and gas companies took part in the discussion of pressing topics of the oil and gas industry.

It is worth noting that the Kazenergy Eurasian Forum is designed to provide an effective dialogue between participants in energy markets, to consider current trends and directions in the development of the energy system. The prospects and strategic initiatives put forward in the framework of this event create favorable conditions for the dynamic and sustainable development of the country's oil and gas and energy complex.