Álvaro Nadal presents the Spanish pavilion at the Astana Expo

For the Minister for Energy, the subject-matter of this Expo has been a good choice. He recalled that Spain is a pioneering country in the use of renewable energy and one of the major players in the sector, as it does not have its own hydrocarbons. Our country is in second place in installed wind power in Europe and fifth in the world. Nearly half the electrical power produced in Spain used renewable energies in 2016.

He also recalled that the Government has called an auction for 2,000 MW of renewable energy, extendible to 3,000 MW, to take place on 17 May, guided by the principle of technological neutrality at the lowest cost possible. The Minister was convinced that Spain would comply with the renewable energy target of 20% set for 2020.

According to the Minister for Energy, our country not only contributes its part in clean energy to combat climate change, but helps to develop this technology.

Spain also has a significant leading position in R&D+i in renewable technology, one example of which is the solar platform in Almeria. In addition, our biggest use of European R&D structural funds is on renewable energies. Contributing to this leading position are experiments such as those on the island of El Hierro, which combines hydraulic and solar energy.

Expo Astana 2017

The International Exposition of Astana 2017, which will have the theme of "Energy for the Future" plans to bring together 130 official participants between 10 June and 10 September (112 States and 18 international organisations), and attract more than 3 million visitors.

A dozen international organisations dedicated to the area of energy will take part in this International Exposition, including the International Renewable Energy Organisation (IRENA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the World Bank.

The Expo is commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the choice of Astana (whose name means "capital" in the Kazakh language) as the capital of the country to replace Almaty. Located in the centre of the country, the city has grown from a population of 200,000 in 1997 to over 850,000 now. After the Expo, the facilities are expected to house the biggest financial centre in Central Asia, as well as the International Centre for the Development of Green Technologies.