A Sustainable Asset Valuation of Sustainable Infrastructure in Kazakhstan

The SAVi assessment concludes that a sustainable infrastructure scenario—combining railway expansion and sustainable buildings—would generate a cumulative discounted net benefit of KZT 2,424 billion (USD 5,259 million) between 2022 and 2050. While a traditional benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 0.82 would suggest the project is not investment-worthy, the sustainable benefit-cost ratio (S-BCR) is 8.53 when accounting for societal and environmental externalities. The most significant economic driver is the value added from freight trade, totaling KZT 2,452 billion (USD 5,319 million), assuming a 60% shift from road to rail transport. The report recommends prioritizing electrified rail and energy-efficient buildings to reduce CO2 emissions and operational costs, noting that solar power is cheaper than fossil fuel generation for the project's energy needs.

• The sustainable infrastructure scenario, which integrates railway expansion and sustainable buildings, is projected to yield a cumulative discounted net benefit of KZT 2,424 billion (USD 5,259 million) over a 28-year period from 2022 to 2050, with a sustainable benefit-cost ratio (S-BCR) of 8.53.
• Traditional financial valuation, which only considers tangible impacts like capital and O&M costs and freight revenues, results in a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 0.82, which would typically be considered not investment-worthy.
• The primary economic benefit is the value added from freight trade, amounting to KZT 2,452 billion (USD 5,319 million), based on a 60% shift from road to rail transport and the high value of transported uranium (USD 110/kg).
• Solar power is identified as a more cost-effective energy source than fossil fuels for the project, with solar costs ranging from USD 24 to USD 96 per MWh compared to USD 39 to USD 101 for gas.
• The project's environmental benefits include avoided CO2 emissions from replacing road transport with rail, valued at KZT 1.5 billion (USD 3.3 million) using a carbon cost of USD 31 per ton; however, using coal for energy would instead create additional emissions costing USD 6.7 million.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). A Sustainable Asset Valuation of Sustainable Infrastructure in Kazakhstan. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-04/savi-shymkent-tashkent-khujand-economic-corridor-summary.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. A Sustainable Asset Valuation of Sustainable Infrastructure in Kazakhstan. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-04/savi-shymkent-tashkent-khujand-economic-corridor-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=A Sustainable Asset Valuation of Sustainable Infrastructure in Kazakhstan |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-04/savi-shymkent-tashkent-khujand-economic-corridor-summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndsustainable, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{A Sustainable Asset Valuation of Sustainable Infrastructure in Kazakhstan}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-04/savi-shymkent-tashkent-khujand-economic-corridor-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }