Astana Solar, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan's state-owned nuclear holding company, recently held a training workshop on green energy hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and research center Green Academy.

The workshop, organized for heads and employees of energy and investment companies, was titled "Green economy: energy efficiency and energy saving."

Nurlan Kapparov, the minister of environment and water resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kamen Velichkov, the acting head of the European Union delegation to Kazakhstan, and Vladimir Shkolnik, thechairman of the management board of Kazatomprom, welcomed the participants.

Shkolnik stressed the necessity of government support for the development of solar, wind and geothermal energy projects in Kazakhstan, noting that one of its highest priorities is financial support for domestic producers and consumers, including state aid for renewable energy sources.

Astana Solar produced 35,000 solar arrays in 2013, which is the equivalent of 8 MW of energy, of which 62 percent were contracted by Kazakhstani companies. The first 0.5 MW power plant was constructed in the Kyzylorda oblast.

In 2014, the company plans to manufacture 162,800 solar arrays, the equivalent of 37 MW.

Throughout the year, seven power plants will be constructed using Kazakhstani solar arrays.