ALMATY, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Ishim-Astana trunk gas pipeline being built for gas supply to Kazakhstan's northern regions is scheduled to start operation on Jan. 1, 2030, Kazakh Ambassador to Russia Dauren Abayev said Thursday.
The project stems from a strategic cooperation agreement reached between Kazakhstan and Russia in 2023 and a follow-up memorandum signed in October 2025.
The signing of the memorandum on the implementation of the gas pipeline project was "significant for gas supply to the northern regions" of Kazakhstan, Abayev wrote in an article for Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.
He added that the pipeline's launch would "strengthen regional stability and energy security in Central Asia" and "also contribute to the expansion and modernization of Kazakhstan's gas transportation infrastructure."
The new pipeline's capacity is expected to reach 45 billion cubic meters per year, of which 10 billion cubic meters are planned for the gasification of Kazakhstan's northeastern regions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has said. ■