Elena Metzger breaks down how Central Asia is navigating the energy shift—policy moves, funding flows, regulatory hurdles, and the global partnerships reshaping the region’s role in the energy transition.

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Subsidies are shifting—from blanket support to targeted help. Efficiency programs are kicking in. This isn’t a vision doc: coal plants are shutting, workers are retraining, solar is growing. The big question: can policy and infrastructure keep up?
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New power is coming online fast. The hard part? Moving it. A Green Energy Corridor could link Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan—but it's early days. Big roadblocks: cross-border grid flows, winter demand spikes, and outdated tariffs slowing everything down.
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Aging coal plants are closing as foreign money dries up. Gas fills gaps for now, but renewables are scaling. Uzbekistan still runs 75% on gas, yet rising demand is forcing change. Former miners are retraining—some now install solar gear where they once dug coal.
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Judges look for: innovation, technical edge, impact (climate + cost), and safety. Jury spans research, industry, and trade media. Open to exhibitors at Intersolar, ees, Power2Drive, and EM-Power worldwide. Apply here:

Winners don’t just get a trophy. You’re on stage at The smarter E Europe (Munich, June 22), plus promo materials, award badges, and press coverage. Even finalists get exposure—great way to get in front of the right people.
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Five categories: PV, Storage, E-Mobility, Smart Energy, and Outstanding Projects. €300 entry—unless you're a project owner or startup exhibitor, then it’s free. Finalists picked in May by experts, winners chosen by an independent jury.
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The review will weigh subsidy costs and grid impact. Co-lead Thierry Tuot, ex-head of CRE, knows the system well. Their report’s due in 3 months—just as France wraps its long-term energy plan. Timing’s no accident.

Right-wing parties like Les Républicains and RN are pushing back on renewables. They even got a moratorium vote through in June. Energy’s now a battleground: nuclear vs renewables, cost vs climate, central vs local control.
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The €6.9B cost hasn’t changed much since 2020 (€6.4B then), says energy regulator CRE. During the energy crisis, high prices meant producers paid money back to the state. Now prices are down—subsidy payments are flowing again.
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The dream? A modern “Seiscientos eléctrico”—an EV for the middle class, like the 1960s Seat that got Spain moving. Industry’s on board: it needs to grow from €85B now to €120B by 2030, while ditching combustion. First step: Dec 2025.

“A cheaper EV means nothing if you can’t charge it,” said Sánchez. €300M goes to filling “shadow zones” still missing chargers. Even the gov admits red tape slowed rollout. Spain’s Europe’s #2 carmaker—it wants to keep that title.
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Under Plan Moves III, regions ran their own subsidies. Some ran dry fast, others had cash left over. It helped 170K EVs, but buyers faced delays and confusion. The new Auto+ plan creates one national fund to simplify and speed things up.
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Africa's EV shift: Morocco's $5.6B gigafactory starts at 20 GWh, Burkina Faso's ITAOUA does 330km on solar charge, South Africa becomes regional hub for Leapmotor and Tata. From raw materials export to local manufacturing. Analysts see $25B market by 2029.  Source

For decades, the pattern was rigged: mine the materials, watch profits get made in Shanghai and Berlin. Morocco's gigafactory will compete with German and French plants on cost and scale. Analysts project Africa's EV market hits $25 billion by 2029.

Burkina Faso just launched ITAOUA - a fully solar-powered EV brand doing 330 kilometers per charge. Local design, local assembly. South Africa's becoming the regional hub - Leapmotor and Tata setting up in Pretoria to tap Sub-Saharan markets.

Denmark went the other way. It tied offshore wind goals to grid deadlines. Germany backed transformer production with € 220 M in funding. These bets worked because they were firm. The 2035 fight isn't about numbers. It's about belief. If Europe signals doubt, capital moves elsewhere and fast.