Kazakhstan has launched what officials describe as the first autonomous solar-powered electric vehicle charging station in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Astana.

The station operates entirely on solar energy and does not depend on the city’s electricity grid, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said.

The facility has a 100-kilowatt capacity and is equipped with a 645 kWh energy storage system, allowing it to theoretically operate at full capacity for around six hours without sunlight.

The autonomous charging station is part of Kazakhstan’s push to expand clean-energy infrastructure and support the growing use of electric vehicles.

Authorities are planning to develop a network of similar solar-powered charging stations across Kazakhstan, potentially making EV charging more independent from the conventional power grid.