The virtual event “Market access in Kazakhstan in the sustainable energy sector”, organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy, was held on 20 January 2021, successfully promoting to the interested Italian private sector investment opportunities and best practices to access the Kazakh market in the field of sustainable energy.

Moderated by Mr. Pierandrea Magaraci of UNIDO ITPO Italy, the conference notably opened with the welcome speech of UNIDO ITPO Italy Head, Ms. Diana Battaggia, and the opening remarks of H.E. Ambassador Pasquale D’Avino, from the Embassy of Italy in Nur-Sultan. The multi-panel discussion featured interventions from several representatives of Kazakh and Italian institutions, as well as of relevant players from the Italian private sector operating in Kazakhstan: Mr. Salvatore Parano, Director of the Italian Trade Agency Kazakhstan; Ms. Aliya Salimzhuarova, Project Manager RES at Kazakh Invest; Ms. Zere Kuluspayeva, Analytics Manager at Astana Invest; Mr. Meirzhan Myrzaliyev, Deputy Governor of the Turkistan Region; Mr. Alex Stillavato, Managing Director at Arm Wind LLP (ENI Renewables Subsidiary in Kazakhstan); Mr. Michelangelo Guarducci, CEO & Vice President of SSE; Mr. Kabduali Omarbekov, President of Zeinet&SSE; and Mr. Stefano Pellegrini, CEO at WindKinetic of FRIEM Group.

With the participation of more than 70 participants, the event – also thanks to its concluding Q&A interactive session – succeeded in providing a useful platform to facilitate knowledge-exchange about investment opportunities as well as Italian success cases in the local sectors of renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmental technologies, fostering potential business synergies and cooperation between Italy and Kazakhstan.

Promoted by the Embassy of Italy in Nur-Sultan, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Italian Republic and Kazakh Invest, the initiative was part of the project “Fostering international partnerships between companies and/or institutions operating in the energy and environment sectors” funded by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea.