ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s position in emerging global energy value chains will increasingly depend on the resilience of its infrastructure, diversification of export routes and investment in new production and technology, speakers said at the strategic plenary session opening Kazakhstan’s International Oil and Gas Exhibition (KIOGE 2026) in Almaty on Sept.
30. Delegates and energy industry experts attend the strategic plenary session on global energy integration and Kazakhstan’s role in emerging energy value chains at KIOGE 2026 in Almaty on Sept. 30. Photo credit: KIOGE. The session, dedicated to Kazakhstan’s role in new energy value chains, brought together senior officials and industry experts to discuss how geopolitical disruptions, changing trade flows and growing energy demand are reshaping the global oil and gas market.
Karen Oldhoven, moderator of the session, said Kazakhstan has positioned itself as an important link between major markets at a time of significant changes in the global energy system. “This is a year of tectonic and geopolitical shifts and at the same time the world is getting more hungry for energy and despite all this Kazakhstan positions itself as a reliable partner and also a bridge for dialogue, cooperation and investment,” she said, highlighting that the next stage would require cooperation between industry participants, governments and experts to build Kazakhstan’s future energy ecosystem.
Resilient infrastructure becomes a priority Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, highlighted the impact of geopolitical disruptions on energy and commodity flows. According to him, countries are increasingly looking at projects that would allow hydrocarbons to be exported through multiple routes rather than relying on a single corridor.
“Something that is very important as well, other than the optionality and building other options, is to ensure the resilience and the security of the critical infrastructure. Because those infrastructures were attacked, unfortunately,” he said. He also stressed the importance of international cooperation, noting that disruptions to major trade routes can affect markets well beyond the countries directly involved.
“If those veins of trade are restricted, threatened, all of us are going to pay the price. It’s not just one country,” Al Mazrouei said. The emphasis on alternative routes and infrastructure resilience is particularly relevant for Kazakhstan, whose energy exports depend on several international transportation corridors and whose role as a link between East and West is expanding.