Jun 02, 2026
Alatau is one of Kazakhstan’s major projects in recent years. In just over two years, it has been granted special status, designated as a special economic zone and attracted major investment projects. Kazinform takes a look at how this future metropolis is developing and what has already been achieved.
In January 2024, by decree of the Head of State, the village of Zhetigen in the Ili District of the Almaty Region was classified as a city of regional significance and renamed Alatau.
As early as September 2025, the President signed a decree granting Alatau special status. According to the document, Alatau City is set to become the region’s first fully digitalised city and a platform for the implementation of modern technologies in governance, business and urban infrastructure.
Later, Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev presented the development concept for Alatau. He stated that a special council, headed by the Prime Minister, is being established to manage the project. It will include international experts who have participated in the implementation of major projects in the UAE, Qatar, the UK, the US and Singapore.
The city will be built using investment
The authorities have repeatedly emphasised that private investment must play a key role in the development of Alatau.
“The state’s role is to provide the infrastructure. For business to operate, roads, utilities and social facilities are needed. It is precisely for this reason that Alatau has been granted special status,” noted the city’s mayor, Arken Utenov.
As Kanat Bozumbayev noted, over the past ten years more than a thousand such zones have been created worldwide, yet around 60% of them proved ineffective due to excessive bureaucracy, a lack of autonomy and insufficient infrastructure. This experience was taken into account when drafting the constitutional law on the special legal regime of Alatau.
The ‘Alatau’ Special Economic Zone
In December 2025, the government amended the decree on the establishment of the ‘Alatau’ Special Economic Zone. It covers an area of almost 99,000 hectares. The territory includes areas designated for the development of the region’s transport and logistics potential, including project zones for airport operations.
By 2047, the authorities plan to attract over 1.6 trillion tenge in investment to the SEZ. Of this, over one trillion tenge is expected to come from foreign investment. The plan also provides for the creation of 17,000 jobs and the attraction of 53 resident companies.
Large-scale infrastructure projects
In January 2026, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektanov reviewed Alatau’s investment and infrastructure projects. At that time, detailed planning projects, utility network diagrams and an infrastructure development roadmap were presented.
The first phase, scheduled for 2026–2027, comprises 21 projects with a total value of 365 billion tenge. During this period, the reconstruction and construction of engineering infrastructure is planned, including substations, a water intake facility and gas pipelines.
The second phase, for 2028–2030, provides for a further nine projects worth over 312 billion tenge. These include the construction of new substations, treatment plants, a gas distribution station and almost 50 kilometres of roads.
On 8 May 2026, the President of Kazakhstan signed a Constitutional Law on the special legal regime of the city of Alatau.
The document provides for the creation of a new model of public administration and the formation of an independent urban ecosystem to attract investment, innovation and technology. The law regulates matters relating to business, digital assets, the financial market, architecture, the environment, culture, sport and even gambling.
In addition, a special ‘Alatau resident’ status is being introduced, which will be available to both individuals and legal entities. The scope of benefits provided and the specifics of applying the special regime will depend on the resident category.
Air taxis and Kazakhstan’s first vertiport
One of the most talked-about projects has been the development of air mobility. On 19 May 2026, air taxi trials officially began in Kazakhstan. The first demonstration flight took place in Alatau.
A site along the national highway near Almaty was chosen for the tests. The country’s first vertiport is being built here — a dedicated site for the take-off and landing of eVTOL aircraft. In the future, this area will be home to the UAM Center Eurasia and Kazakhstan’s fully-fledged vertiport.
Read more: https://www.inform.kz/ru/aerotaksi-sez-i-osobiy-status-kak-razvivaetsya-gorod-alatau-fdcd0797