Qualitative economic development is a priority in the work of the Government. “Quality” means that new jobs are created in Kazakhstan, new domestic products appear on the market, and new transport arteries are built. This is something we have been actively working on all year. And it is very pleasant that we are finishing 2023 with the launch of several important projects in infrastructure and energy. In November and December alone, the construction of several new railways began, production was launched at a new gas field, and the energy system in the western regions of the republic was strengthened. All this will create new incentives for economic growth and will contribute to the growth of the well-being of Kazakhstanis. I will tell you about each of these projects in more detail.

On November 14, construction of a railway line bypassing Almaty began in the Almaty region. Thanks to this, the delivery time for goods transiting goods through Kazakhstan from China to Europe will be noticeably reduced – by at least 1.5-2 days. It is very important that the share of local content during construction will be at least 85%. In total, at this stage, 130 kilometers of railway tracks will be laid, three stations, 13 bridges, five railway and one road overpass will be built. During the construction phase, 1,400 people will be involved, and during the operation of the line - about 500 people. On November 27, the construction of a new railway began in the Turkestan region - this is the Darbaza - Maktaaral line with a length of 152 kilometers, which will strengthen transport links between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Now the main cargo flow passes through the Saryagash docking station, which is already operating at the limit of its capabilities. The new railway will relieve congestion at this station and increase the transportation of Kazakh goods to Uzbekistan. The construction of this highway will create 3,400 jobs, and the share of Kazakhstani content in the project will be 85%. Let me emphasize once again that attracting domestic suppliers always remains one of the important elements of all such projects.

Just recently, on December 21, construction began on the third railway this year. It will provide additional transport links with China, which will help increase cargo turnover by another 20 million tons - from 28 to 48 million tons. Work has begun in the Abay region; a new railway line with a length of 272 kilometers will connect the stations of Bakhty and Ayagoz. The project is planned to be fully completed by 2027. For construction, more than 500 thousand sleepers and 36 tons of rails will be purchased from Kazakh manufacturers. Local content will be at least 85%. At the same time, more than 1,700 people will be involved in the construction phase. And then new permanent jobs will appear at the unloading and loading sites.

Let's move on to energy. On November 29, new power transmission lines were launched in the Atyrau region, built to strengthen the network in the western energy zone of Kazakhstan. Lines with a length of 780 kilometers were built, which will increase the network capacity and reliability of energy supply to all consumers in the western regions of the country. This project will reduce the number of consumer outages in western Kazakhstan, including during emergencies at the MAEK power plant. The current strengthening of the power grid will become the basis for its further integration with the unified energy system of Kazakhstan. Also on December 22, gas production began at the Rozhkovskoye field in the West Kazakhstan region. This field was discovered in 2008, and now it is planned to produce 14.2 billion cubic meters of raw gas and 7.1 million tons of condensate by 2040. It will be developed by KazMunayGas, the Hungarian company MOL Group and the Chinese Sinopec. Thanks to the development of the field, the National Fund will be replenished by 501 billion tenge, and the local budget – by 110 billion.

In addition, shareholders plan to allocate at least 3.1 billion tenge to the socio-economic development of the region. This project is especially important against the background of the growing needs of citizens and industry for gas. I would like to note that each of these projects will play a big role in the development of the entire country. The economic potential of the regions will be strengthened, thousands of new jobs will appear for Kazakh specialists, and budget revenues will increase. All this will allow us to get closer to the main goal that the Government is working on - to increase the welfare of Kazakhstanis and bring the country’s economic development to a new qualitative level.