Qaraganda Region: Saran's New 10-billion-tenge Boiler Station Not Providing Heat

A new boiler station in Saran, in the Qaraganda region, is not supplying heat sufficiently. Orda.kz investigated the matter.

Today, the temperature in Saran residents' homes is +15 degrees. The heating season began on October 1, but most of the city has not yet received any heat. Since yesterday, authorities have urgently connected multi-story buildings to old local boiler stations. However, Saran residents say, not everywhere.

 It was already clear last week that nothing would work out with this boiler. They came and disconnected our house. They even took the pipes, even the taps that we bought ourselves. Why? It was already clear that nothing would work out. Why didn't they let these local boiler stations continue to work? After all, Sergey (the owner — Ed.) suggested: 'Let me heat it up some more.' No, no one agreed. He had already taken it apart, Elvira Glukhikh, a Saran resident, said.

"In August, the local boiler station of our block was dismantled. They sold it for scrap metal... And now we are left without local boiler stations, namely our block. Now, we are connected to another block, which was practically not heated last year. That boiler station will not be able to handle two blocks. Winter is comin; wee are completely without heat," worries Lyudmila Kostyuk.

It's -15 degrees Celsius at home. Everyone has children. They keep promising us, saying, 'We'll provide it to you on the first, we'll provide it to you on the tenth,' they've dug up all of Saran' up and down. They've ruined all the cars because they laid the asphalt, then dug it up. The boiler stations are empty. They were building a new one for 15 years, and finally we're left with nothing, Another resident, Elena Boris.

The Saran boiler station is indeed a long-term construction project. It has been under construction since 2011. It was supposed to be completed in 2015. The contractor was caught embezzling a billion tenge out of the allocated five billion. The construction stopped, and the director of Pavlodar Boiler Station LLP was sentenced to five and a half years. Then, due to inflation, more funding was needed — seven billion.

The boiler station had not yet been completed, but the heating mains had been laid, and the meters had been installed. The Vice Minister of Energy Anatoly Shkarupa, the former Akim of Saran, was brought to trial but later acquitted. In 2019, the facility was transferred to the city's balance sheet.

This summer, it was finally completed. 

On August 28, the boilers were brought online. After that, they are brought to the mode adjustment. Since these boiler houses are a single copy, practically only in Shakhan in the Qaraganda region, there are no more of them in Kazakhstan, so they come into operation in a different way. It lasts for a month and a half on average. For this, heat intake in the networks is needed... Various issues arise, all services here are engaged in a quick solution so that the equipment does not stop and so that it reaches its mode... It's like you buy a car and take it for a test drive, said the Akim of Saran, Yerkin Baulykov.

The akim says the Saran boiler house is producing a temperature of only 50-70 degrees, which is gradually increasing. On Saturday, it snowed, so they temporarily connected the houses to the old local boiler stations.

Operations only began last night. Now, utility teams from all over the region are working promptly. Today, 91 out of 168 houses were connected by lunchtime. The rest are promised by nightfall.

The Akim posted a video on social media apologizing to Saran residents.

Meanwhile, the regional Akim, Yermaganbet Bulekpayev, reported on the situation to the government.

 In Saran, the boiler house has already been put into operation. On October 13, due to an automation malfunction, the boiler station's operation was suspended. A decision was made to connect the backup boiler station. The work is currently underway, the matter is under my personal control. 

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov emphasized that the state of the heating infrastructure in Saran is the personal responsibility of the local akim.

This indicates a lack of proper control. The boiler room is currently being checked for readiness. Anyone who provided false information about the facility's readiness for the heating season will be held accountable. After the government meeting, the Minister of Energy will go to Saran for an inspection. Based on the results, the materials will be sent to law enforcement agencies.

If a violation is discovered, all those responsible will be held criminally liable, the Prime Minister warned.

Original Authors: Inna Rutz, Anastasia Prilepskaya