The project aims to support Kazakhstan in implementing its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and achieving its long-term carbon neutrality goals by accelerating the decarbonization of the cement and steel industries, which are among the country’s major sources of industrial greenhouse gas emissions. The project will assess emissions profiles and mitigation potential, support the adoption of Best Available Techniques (BAT), and strengthen policy, regulatory, and financing mechanisms that enable low-carbon industrial transformation.

The project is composed of five main components: 

1. Conducting national assessments of emissions profiles and mitigation opportunities in the cement and steel sectors; 

2. Developing sector-specific Low-Carbon Strategies and Programmes for the transition to Best Available Techniques; 

3. Piloting the new Integrated Environmental Permit (IEP) process for a cement company and preparing recommendations to improve the legal and regulatory framework for BAT implementation; 

4. Strengthening capacities and stakeholder engagement through consultations with companies, industry associations, and government agencies on low-carbon industrial development; 

5. Collaborating with the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) to explore green and transition bond mechanisms to mobilize financing for industrial decarbonization and BAT investments.