During the official opening ceremony of the international exhibition RES 2026 EXPO, held at the EXPO International Exhibition Center in Astana, a total of 17 international agreements, memorandums, and investment documents were signed, with a combined value exceeding $2.3 billion. This represents one of the largest “green” deal packages in Central Asia.

The opening ceremony served as the central event of the exhibition’s first day, bringing together representatives of governments, international organizations, development institutions, and the business community. Participants included environmental ministers from Central Asian countries, H.E. Antonello De Riu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Kazakhstan, as well as representatives of the Green Climate Fund and other international organizations.

A key highlight of the ceremony was the signing of agreements covering strategic areas of environmental transformation, including renewable energy development, low-carbon technologies, waste management, sustainable industrial production, and climate finance.

Among them was a memorandum between the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security of the Italian Republic. The document establishes a framework for joint projects in environmental protection and climate change, the implementation of green technologies, sustainable natural resource management, and the promotion of energy-efficient solutions.

The newly established platform will enable the structured development and support of priority national projects in energy and climate transformation. It will unite government agencies, development banks, and private investors, while reducing barriers to climate finance.

Several major investment agreements were signed in the energy sector. These include a 645 million dollar project to build a 500 MW wind power plant in the Karaganda Region, as well as agreements on renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of up to 2 GW.

Another group of agreements, concluded with the participation of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan, focuses on financing large-scale infrastructure and industrial projects. Among them are a gas pipeline construction project for Qarmet JSC worth more than 256 million dollars and a potash fertilizer production project valued at up to 650 million dollars.

A significant share of the agreements relates to green energy and waste management. These include projects to build waste-to-energy plants in Astana, Shymkent, and Almaty with a total value of more than 560 million dollars, as well as initiatives to develop solar and hydropower projects across the country.

Additionally, agreements were signed to support sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projects, the development of carbon markets, and the implementation of forest-climate solutions aimed at reducing emissions and fulfilling Kazakhstan’s international climate commitments.

These agreements lay the foundation for attracting international investment, scaling green technologies, and strengthening regional cooperation in sustainable development.

As a reminder, RES 2026 EXPO is taking place in Astana from April 22 to 24, 2026, as part of the Regional Environmental Summit. The exhibition brings together around 300 companies from 30 countries and more than 20,000 visitors, serving as a key platform for advancing the environmental agenda, investment, and innovation in Central Asia.