Kazakhstan has abundant hydro resources, which are mainly concentrated in the eastern and southern parts of the country. Today, 15 large hydropower stations (>50 MW) with a total capacity of 2.25 GW account for up to 13 per cent of the country’s total generating capacity.
Kazakhstan positions itself as a promising country for the development and implementation of hydropower projects on its territory. The state sets an ambitious plan of achieving the 50% share of electricity production in the country using renewable energy sources by 2050 (hereinafter – the "RES").
Hydro energy resources are distributed throughout the country, but three areas have particularly large resources: the Irtysh River basin and its main tributaries (Bukhtarma, Uba, Ulba, Kurchum, Kardzhil), the southeast zone with the Ili river basin, and the south zone with the Syrdarya, Talas and Chu river basins.