The importance of the Central Asian region in energy security at the global level: A review

Abstract

Energy security is an important issue locally and globally. Likewise, the most recent technological developments concern the sustainability and environmental impact of nonrenewable energy. Thus, most countries' concern has increased in new and renewable energy sources for generating electricity to reduce the consumption of nonrenewable energy. The central Asian region (CAR) is one of the most regions that contain much more energy. In this way, it is one of the primary exporters of energy for the global market. The Central Asian area contains around 5.5% of the world's hydro potential. Furthermore, over 20% of the world's investigated uranium is in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Natural gas is the most consumed resource in the CAR countries, 75% of which is consumed in Uzbekistan, and the second place, consumed by the CAR countries, goes to coal, where 93% of its stores are consumed in Kazakhstan. The countries that produce most of the oil in Central Asia are Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan provides 1.2 billion metric tons of oil and Uzbekistan provides up to 730 million barrels of oil. Kyrgyzstan has great potential for using renewable energy, including, solar energy, hydropower, and biomass. Thus, utilizing renewable energy for Kyrgyzstan must be addressed as a solution for population growth and socioeconomic problems in the future. Finally, the presence of energy is generating interest. However, the construction of pipelines is needed.