WASHINGTON, D.C. — During the Global Energy Forum’s panel on redrawing the map of global energy supply, discussions centered on shifting demands and regional infrastructure. Introducing the segment, panel moderator Ben Cahill provided context for the participation of Reid I’anson, Alisa Newman Hood, Helen Currie and Ahmet Ören.
Addressing Ören, the moderator stated: “We’ve mostly talked about oil and gas issues so far, but your company, İhlas Holding company, is investing in different types of energy, especially electricity generation, and with a strong focus on hydroelectric power. So tell us a little bit about that and talk about the geography, the part of the world where you’re investing.”
Ihlas Holding CEO Ahmet Ören delivered a stark warning about the shifting paradigms of global energy security, emphasizing that the industry is drastically underestimating the sheer volume of power required to sustain the AI revolution.
“Thanks Ben. Great to be here. And I should also say as a board member, this is the largest gathering of our energy forum, so it’s great. Since yesterday we have been listening two things: one is the demand, and the second is map of energy security.
These two paradigms are shifting now, and when we look at the demand side of the current oil and gas crisis, starting from the Russia Ukraine, now with Iran and Strait of Hormuz, the predictions are how to bring the supply back to where it was before, and also how it would be delayed with certain damages in the facilities in Qatar, such as that. It’s all about answering the current demand in the current geographical limits or borders.
But the new demand on the grid will not be the heat or the transport or the airlines; it’s to compute. Because the demand for the electrons is doubling every 18 months. The size of a Japan’s consumption is being loaded on the grid every year.
So the answer to that is not limited to this geography; it’s wherever the cheap power will be, and renewables are answer to that. Hydropower is an answer to that. We are in Central Asia because it’s a very untapped big market and with huge potentials, and they understand and they see the potentials. The total amount of hydropower or renewable projects in pipeline in Central Asia is about 43 gigawatts. And in Kyrgyzstan where we are, which has enormous water capacity, the country’s resources are only about 16% utilized. Now there’s give or take 10 gigawatts of hydropower projects in the pipeline.
So this is the answer, this will be the answer to this big demand facing the whole industry. Of course, oil and gas is not going anywhere; the natural gas powered electricity supply will be there and will grow with certain limitations. So we predict and we believe that to counter this growing demand of AI and electricity and data centers, it needs stable 24/7 baseload power generation and at its cheapest form in a climate and environment that is safe enough to build. That’s where we are, and that’s where we see the next big expansion. Every other supply issue that we’ve been talking is constrained to the limitations of what we all been saying and hearing the panel the two days. But this is a new horizon for this. So what I call is today’s barrels is tomorrow’s electrons, so there’s a big shift going toward that direction.”
Concluding his perspective on the predictability of the industry’s future, Ören added:
“My answer would be like, on the oil and gas side the calculations are within some marginal margin of error can be made. But I think in the next two to five years the assumptions and calculations for the demand on the AI and electricity and data centers will probably be redrawn, and we don’t know what it will be. So this is going to change the whole expectations of not the supply and demand side, also the security side of the power generation, and that’s an unknown. There are a lot of assumptions and calculations, but with the growth of AI industry by itself, I believe in the next three to five years we’ll have a whole different scenario in front of us and nobody’s ready for it. Yeah, none of the sectors, not the renewable sectors, not the oil and gas sectors in my opinion.”
Shifting the focus back to the panel’s core theme of “redrawing the map of global energy supply,” moderator Ben Cahill asked Ören to elaborate on the varied resource endowments across Central Asian nations. Cahill highlighted how different countries possess distinct advantages—ranging from hydro and geothermal to abundant oil and gas, and inquired how these nations are leveraging their unique resources to meet emerging domestic demands, such as powering data centers.
In response, Ören contextualized the recent and significant surge of international interest in Central Asia. He pointed to a series of high-level diplomatic and economic engagements, noting that the momentum accelerated when President Trump hosted Central Asian leaders last year, followed by two recent C5+1 meetings in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Furthermore, the mandates for US agencies like the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the US Exim Bank have been specifically updated to focus on the region. Parallel to these US efforts, European Union Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen recently announced a major grant and incentive program for Central Asia, driven by its massive untapped potential.
Breaking down the region’s diverse resources, Ören highlighted Kyrgyzstan as an anchor country. He emphasized that their dialogue with the United States is centered not on oil and gas, but on their immense water capacity and natural resources, including uranium, gold, and rare earth minerals. While Kazakhstan stands out for its traditional oil and natural gas capacity, Ören noted that the broader region—particularly Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan—holds massive potential for solar and wind energy, with major gigawatt-scale projects already in the pipeline.
Ören then connected these resource endowments back to the unique demands of the AI boom. He explained that unlike traditional energy resources, which are difficult to relocate, the new paradigm dictates that power-hungry AI and data center companies will establish their operations directly adjacent to the power generation sources. Freed from geographical restrictions, these facilities require little more than fiber-optic or future satellite connections to operate seamlessly.
To support this localized power generation, critical regional infrastructure is also advancing. Ören highlighted the CASA-1000 grid project, a major transmission line starting from Kyrgyzstan and passing through the Middle Corridor and Afghanistan. With the project currently estimated at 80% completion, it promises to facilitate power transmission across the entire region. This infrastructure development, Ören argued, is a key factor in why Western interest in Central Asia is increasing and driving substantial investment.
When Cahill observed that the region is increasingly attracting the attention of development finance corporations and export-import banks, Ören strongly agreed. He noted that these institutions are now actively working alongside private capital—a stark contrast to just two or three years ago when Central Asia was entirely absent from their mandates and agendas.