USAID Kazakhstan Climate Change Mitigation Program

Kazakhstan set ambitious goals to transform to a green economy by 2050. To help meet these targets, the country adopted national energy efficiency requirements in 2012 and launched a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading system in 2013. Kazakhstan, an energy-intensive, petroleum-based economy, needs capable energy and climate experts who comply with these laws and support the country’s transition to a green economy. From 2013 to 2017, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Kazakhstan Climate Change Mitigation Program (KCCMP) focused on providing extensive training on GHG management and energy efficiency for government officials, Kazakhstan’s largest energy users and GHG emitters, and professors and students in technical and public policy programs. Tetra Tech helped bridge the gap between national ambition and local expertise by assisting the government in implementing its GHG and energy efficiency programs and helping the business community better manage energy and GHG emissions.

We are glad that we have partners who can deliver independent and updated information. For us, it means a lot to have a third party who is helping to develop the emissions trading system in Kazakhstan.

Danira Baigunakova, former head of the emissions trading system department in Kazakhstan at Zhasyl Damu

Through KCCMP, Tetra Tech provided foundational skills in energy management, energy auditing, and in GHG emissions calculations and verification to officials, major energy-users, professors, and students. We also trained policymakers on regulatory program design and implementation and business executives on complying with an emissions trading system and updating business models to account for carbon. Throughout the life of the project, Tetra Tech trained more than 400 members of the government, private sector, and academia.

The program developed networks and institutions that have, and will continue to, provide professional development. We launched:

  • Kazakhstan’s first chapter of the global Association of Energy Engineers, which provides internationally recognized professional certification in energy management and auditing
  • Industrial Assessment Centers, in partnership with leading technical universities in five cities, which provide practical training for students, professors, and professional auditors who jointly implement industrial energy audits
  • A Climate Leadership Forum for business community leaders to share their activities and dialogue on GHG emissions management in Kazakhstan
  • A GHG Verifiers Forum for the exchange of key updates between the Emissions Trading System (ETS) administrators and the accredited professionals who verify emissions performance under the trading program
  • An energy monitoring and management system whose pilot resulted in a 33 percent reduction in annual energy consumption in grid-connected public education and medical buildings, and reduced the GHG emissions of an off-grid hospital by more than 50 percent
  • Semester-length courses on sustainable development, climate resilience, and green economy, which are offered at several leading universities to educate future professionals on GHG management in Kazakhstan
  • A series of meetings between potential public and private energy efficiency project developers and USAID’s Development Credit Authority (DCA) to better understand opportunities and conditions for DCA financial support

Under KCCMP, Tetra Tech supported the Ministry of Investment and Development in implementing one of the concrete steps in the national development program, which calls for improving efficiency and attracting investments through energy performance contracting. We also advised the Ministry of Energy on developing its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, outlining Kazakhstan’s commitments to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, and assisted with reforms to the emissions trading system, including developing the GHG allowance allocation system for 2018–2020 based on benchmarking. Through these areas of support, Tetra Tech provided critical assistance for steering the Kazakhstan economy towards a sustainable, low emission development pathway.