Kazakhstan to Spend 8 Trillion Tenge on Coal-Fired Power Plants

The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan has presented a draft National Plan for the Development of Coal-Fired Power Generation up to 2030. The document indicates that the sector is expected to receive about eight trillion tenge in funding over the next five years, Orda.kz reports.

The plan says the government aims to address the country’s power shortage for the long term and carry out deep modernization of worn-out generating capacity across the republic.

By 2030, the plans include the construction of six new power plants: a third unit at Ekibastuz SDPP-2, and plants in Kurchatov, Kokshetau, Semey, Oskemen, and Zhezkazgan. Aksu SDPP and Ekibastuz SDPP-2 are scheduled for renovation.

The ministry emphasizes that outdated capacity will be replaced with modern units that are more energy-efficient and capable of minimizing harmful emissions. The new plants are expected to use so-called «clean coal» as fuel.

Investors for new projects will be selected through two mechanisms: for new projects, through tenders; for the modernization of existing projects, through investment agreements to be concluded with the Ministry of Energy.

A tender for building a combined heat and power plant in Kurchatov was held in January. The winner was «SDPP Kurchatov,» a company owned by Temirlan Utegenov, which beat TANSU Construction, linked to Zhandos Zhumanov. Authorities stressed that the plant would be built without using budget funds.

The development plan also says construction of new capacity will be synchronized with increased coal production and upgrades to rail infrastructure. The ministry is negotiating with Otbasy Bank to launch specialized mortgage programs for industry workers.

Original Author: Alexey Afonsky