ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 6. Russia will supply gas to the northern regions of Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a conversation with the heads of world news agencies, TurkicWorld reports.
"We will now supply gas not only to Uzbekistan, but also to Kazakhstan. Northern Kazakhstan needs our energy resources," he said.
As Putin pointed out, in Kazakhstan there are plenty of areas that are gasping for gas supply, even though the country itself is sitting on a goldmine of this type of energy.
"It’s easier to receive gas from us and cheaper than to build new routes there that will cost billions of dollars," the President of Russia said.
Earlier, the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Almassadam Satkaliev stated that Kazakhstan can provide gas to the northern and eastern regions using Russian resources.
"To bring gas to the northern and eastern regions, we are operating in two directions. The first, as you know, is the construction of the Saryarka gas pipeline's third and fourth sections. Relevant feasibility studies are being conducted. QazaqGas is evaluating numerous financing options for this project. Furthermore, the company, in collaboration with Gazprom, is producing a feasibility assessment for a project for potential gas delivery from Russian resources," the minister said.
Today, 60 percent of the population of Kazakhstan, or 12 million people, have access to natural gas. Kazakhstan plans to increase the level of gas supply to the population to 61.1 percent by the end of 2024.
