Based on recent developments, including King Philippe’s upcoming state visit to Kazakhstan in October, Kazakhstan’s plans to fully cover its domestic electricity demand by the first quarter of 2027, and the launch of the first student recruitment campaign for the Kazakh Research University of Artificial Intelligence (QAIRU), Qazinform News Agency presents its weekly review of foreign media coverage.
Eurasia Review: The state visit of King Philippe to Kazakhstan: Historic first and mirror of strategic partnership between Brussels and Astana – OpEd King Philippe of Belgium will make his first state visit to Kazakhstan from October 12 to 15, 2026, at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Eurasia Review reports.
The trip will mark the first state visit by a Belgian sovereign since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. The visit was announced following talks between Tokayev and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in Brussels in June. The Kazakh President described the upcoming trip as a “historic moment” and said he attached “exceptional importance” to it.
King Philippe has previously visited Kazakhstan as Crown Prince, leading economic missions in 2002, 2009 and 2010. In August, he said he was “looking forward” to returning to the country. The Times of Central Asia: Kazakhstan targets end to electricity deficit by 2027 According to The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan plans to fully cover its domestic electricity demand by the first quarter of 2027, following a major regional power disruption on August 14.
The Energy Ministry expects around 2.6 GW of new generating capacity to come online in 2026, including gas-fired plants, power station expansions and renewable energy projects. By the end of 2027, Kazakhstan is projected to have an electricity surplus of about 1.3 billion kWh.
The country remains a net electricity importer. In 2025, Kazakhstan generated 123.1 billion kWh while consuming 124.6 billion kWh, with demand rising 3.8%. The August outage, which affected Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, also highlighted vulnerabilities in the interconnected Central Asian power grid.
Even after Kazakhstan eliminates its annual electricity deficit, aging infrastructure and regional imbalances will remain key challenges as electricity demand continues to grow.