The Geopolitics of Renewables in Kazakhstan and Russia

ABSTRACT

This article examines recent renewable energy initiatives in two hydrocarbon rich states of Eurasia: Kazakhstan and Russia. The global nature of challenges surrounding energy and natural resource use demand that sustainability and “energy transition” policies be understood as geopolitical issues, which are increasingly (re)defining political relations among and within states. Existing research and media coverage of international energy politics in Eurasia is overwhelmingly dominated by a focus on oil and gas extraction, especially in Kazakhstan and Russia, due to their central place in traditional hydrocarbon fuels markets. As elsewhere in the world, however, political and economic leaders in both countries have started to adopt the language of promoting environmental sustainability, the “green economy,” and renewable energy infrastructures. Taking a critical geopolitics lens to recent developments, this article considers who is involved in advancing renewable energy in contexts that have traditionally been dependent on traditional energy sources, and what this may portend for the shifting energy landscape of Eurasia.

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by a grant from the University of Helsinki’s Aleksanteri Institute in 2018. The authors would like to thank Elena Gorbacheva for her assistance. This article is an expanded version of a PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo, No. 539, “Renewables in Kazakhstan and Russia: Promoting ‘future energy’ or entrenching hydrocarbon dependency?” (August 2018) GW Central Asia Program Memo #211, “The geopolitics of renewables in Kazakhstan” (September 2018).

Notes

1. We do not consider grassroots environmental activist because, though present in both countries (Agyeman and Ogneva-Himmelberger 2009; Henry 2010), they are not robust and do not play a significant role in advancing the renewable energy agenda.

2. See https://www.qatarsolar-energy.com/. Off the record, colleagues in the Gulf energy consulting and legal spheres suggest that the company was likely backed by a wealthy businessman and/or royal family member, who simply “lost interest.” We could not verify this, but they suggest that this is commonplace with the deals they negotiate and the firms they help to set up in the region.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Alekstanti Institute, University of Helsinki [Visiting Fellows Alumni Grant].