Could EU Sanctions Disrupt Kazakhstan’s Electricity Supply from Russia?
Illustration: envato
The Russian company Inter RAO, through which Kazakhstan imports electricity from Russia, was included in the EU’s 21st sanctions package. A possible end to cooperation with the company could affect not only electricity supplies but also the stability of Kazakhstan’s power grid, Zhakyp Khairushev, managing director at the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, told Orda.kz.
Inter RAO appears as entry No. 986 in the EU sanctions document. It is described as one of Russia’s largest energy companies, controlled by the Russian state and serving around 19 million customers. Its revenue reached 1.36 trillion rubles in 2023.
The EU says the company plays a significant role in Russia’s energy sector and provides financial support to the Russian authorities through taxes and dividends.
According to Khairushev, Inter RAO handles all electricity imported by Kazakhstan from Russia — at least four billion kilowatt-hours annually. However, the company’s importance goes beyond the volume of electricity supplied.
When Kazakhstan imports electricity from Russia, it is not simply buying a certain number of megawatt-hours. Because the two power systems operate in parallel, they work together to maintain frequency and grid stability. Russia’s power system has much greater inertia, substantial spinning reserves and more capacity to adjust output quickly,Khairushev explained.
He said the sanctions-related risks should therefore be viewed not only in terms of a possible reduction or suspension of imports. Maintaining the stability of Kazakhstan’s unified power system could become a more serious challenge.
The country would need sufficient reserve capacity, reliable automatic frequency-control systems and modern tools for managing power generation.
Without rapidly upgrading automatic generation control systems at existing power plants, maintaining frequency within the required standards could become one of the country’s most difficult technical challenges,Khairushev said.
Inter RAO’s inclusion on the EU sanctions list does not require Kazakhstan to stop purchasing Russian electricity. Khairushev was describing the potential consequences if the restrictions complicate cooperation with the company or lead to a suspension of supplies.
Original author: Alexander Zhdanov
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