The Ministry of Energy plans to implement 68 projects to introduce new 6.7 GW of capacity by 2029
Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Akkenzhenov reported at the Government session on the ongoing work to modernize the energy infrastructure, primeminister.kz reports.
He noted that, in general, the country’s energy system operates normally, in parallel with the energy systems of the Russian Federation and the countries of Central Asia. It consists of 237 energy sources, of which 79 belong to traditional generation sources, and the remaining 158 are renewable energy sources.
The Ministry is consistently taking measures aimed at strengthening energy security, modernizing infrastructure, expanding capacities, and introducing digital solutions on an ongoing basis," Yerlan Akkenzhenov noted.
The Minister added that work under the Energy Sector Development Plan until 2035, which provides for the introduction of more than 26 GW of new generating capacity, is actively continuing. The commissioning of new capacities is being carried out both through the modernization of existing plants and the construction of new generating facilities. The Ministry of Energy plans to implement 68 projects for the commissioning of new 6.7 GW of capacities in the national energy system by 2029. Last year, more than 770 new capacities were commissioned, including 608 MW of traditional generation and 163 MW of renewable energy.
In general, the Ministry of Energy plans to implement 68 projects to introduce new 6.7 GW of capacity by 2029. Thus, in 2025, it is planned to commission more than 621 MW, including 166 MW of traditional and 9 renewable energy facilities. In 2027, it is planned to commission about 1.5 thousand MW of capacity, including 13 renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of 573 MW. In 2028, it is planned to commission more than 2 thousand MW of capacity, including 3 renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of 245 MW.
Thus, by 2029, it is expected to meet the entire electricity demand of the economy, and a surplus in Kazakhstan’s energy system is planned, which will also increase the country’s export potential.
Yerlan Akkenzhenov also spoke about the ongoing work to implement the instruction of the Head of State on the further development of coal generation based on clean coal technologies. He noted that the ministry plans to implement several large projects that meet environmental requirements and standards with minimal environmental impact, including the possibility of operating in a flexible mode.
A tender has already been held to determine the investor for the construction of the Ekibastuz GRES-3, and a tender is planned for the construction of a thermal power plant in the city of Kurchatov. Within the framework of direct agreements, the ministry, together with JSC Samruk-Energo, is implementing CHP plants in the cities of Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. These projects will also employ advanced flue gas filtration systems with heavy metal capture systems.
Within the framework of auction trades for the selection of flexible generation, an auction has been announced for the construction of combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants in the cities of Astana and Shymkent. According to the ministry, this mechanism has been successfully tested and made it possible in 2022 and 2024 to determine investors who have now started implementing eight projects for the construction of CCGT plants with a total capacity of about 2.5 GW.
Large-scale projects are also being actively developed under intergovernmental agreements with the participation of strategic investors from China, Europe, and Arab countries - with a total capacity of about 3.8 GW, as well as 1.1 GW of energy storage systems. However, given the unstable nature of electricity generation, such a significant volume of renewable energy (8.4 GW) requires balancing by flexible generation sources. Thus, the planned gas power plants will primarily be used to balance the energy system due to uneven power output.
At the Government session, the issue of digitalizing the fuel and energy complex was also discussed. It was noted that work is currently underway to implement the sectoral platform "Unified State Management System of the Fuel and Energy Complex" (EnergyTech). The EnergyTech platform will integrate all areas of the fuel and energy complex based on a single platform solution. It will ensure an end-to-end management coordination process across 10 key areas of the energy sector - from the energy industry, subsoil use, and processing to the coal industry. Full-scale development and industrial commissioning are planned for 2026-2027.
The Minister added that this year seven digital services are in operation, two of which are in the energy sector:
- Digital service for monitoring preparation for and passage of the autumn-winter period;
- Digital service for approving the maximum tariff.
This year, a pilot launch of the digital service for submitting and reviewing applications for the approval of maximum tariffs was carried out. The service eliminates paperwork, increases transparency and manageability of the process, and reduces time and operational costs.
At this stage, 63 entities, 83 generation facilities, and 1,664 processed documents have been covered. The transition from paper-based and manual calculations to a digital process has yielded measurable results. The key effects of the service include a twofold reduction in the number of business processes in approval procedures and a 56% reduction in the administrative burden on applicants.
With regard to the introduction of an automated electricity metering system, coverage remains low in low- and medium-voltage networks. It is planned to increase the share of smart electricity metering systems as part of the implementation of the National Project for the Modernization of the Energy and Utilities Sectors," Yerlan Akkenzhenov explained.
In this regard, within the framework of the National Project, over the next three years, 4 million smart meters will be installed in 27 power supply entities. The expected economic effect is estimated at 57 billion tenge due to the reduction of normative electricity losses.
Regarding heat energy metering, the National Project also provides for the widespread introduction of automated heat metering. Heat supply facilities and large consumers are already equipped, but the main gap remains in the main and distribution heat networks. The declared demand for 52 entities is approximately more than 30 thousand smart heat meters. According to international practice, comprehensive metering allows up to 15% savings in heat energy consumption.
The National Project also plans to involve exclusively domestic manufacturers of metering devices. A unified system integration architecture will ensure data collection from all metering devices for the analytical base of the EnergyTech platform.
The Minister also reported that Kazakhstan is actively working on the application of artificial intelligence technologies in the fuel and energy complex. For this purpose, an Acceleration Group for the implementation of AI in the energy sector has been established, which includes representatives of leading companies in the industry.
The main task of the group is to identify industry needs and consolidate efforts to implement AI technology cases. At the same time, an AI Alliance has been formed from global vendors and IT companies that have AI solutions in the sector.
To support domestic IT developers, the ministry and Astana Hub residents have signed memorandums on joint testing and implementation of AI solutions in the industry. The ministry will continue its systematic work on applying AI technologies in the sector.
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