The paper focuses on one of the main challenges of Kazakhstan's economy -its high energy intensity of GDP. Contemporary scholarship states that high energy intensity of GDP is a common characteristic of almost all post-Soviet countries, which are also very affected by weak institutions and under-developed legal frameworks in the fuel and energy sectors. The paper analyzes the legal framework existing in Kazakhstan, the largest economy of Central Asia, with respect to energy efficiency and

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... saving policies, which are considered a sufficient way of reducing energy intensity of GDP. A total of seven key documents adopted in 2010-2014 are carefully reviewed, which comprise the legal foundation of Kazakhstan's energy efficient economy. The paper also presents a "pyramid" of energy efficiency and energy saving development of Kazakhstan, on the bottom of which is the legal framework, based on the results of our analysis.