“Intergovernmental agreement with the Russian Federation. The contracting party from the Kazakh side is ‘Samruk-Energo,’ so there is absolutely no basis to say that they (the power plants in Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk – ‘Kursiv’) will belong to someone else. The Russian side is only the general contractor and provides concessional financing, so these stations will be built,” he said while responding to relevant questions from journalists.
According to him, the first phase plans to begin construction of the power plant in Kokshetau, the administrative center of Akmolinsk region.
“Currently, the design is underway. Yesterday, ‘Samruk-Energo’ spoke about this. This year, the conclusion of the EPC contract is planned. The goal is to put the Kokshetau power plant into operation by 2028. Following that, the Semey and Ust-Kamenogorsk power plants will be developed sequentially. Preparatory work and design are ongoing, and the question of transferring ownership to another party is not on the table,” Yessimkhanov assured.
Earlier, the government of Kazakhstan reported that the Eurasian Development Bank is investing funds in the modernization and expansion of several power plants in Kazakhstan. The power plants in Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk will operate on Kazakh coal; however, the government is considering the possibility of subsequently switching them to gas.
The main gas pipeline “Saryarka” will be connected to Kokshetau and Petropavlovsk by 2028, reported in May 2024 the Vice Minister of Energy Alibek Zhamauov. Essentially, this means that Kokshetau will be gasified by the time the construction of the thermal power plant (TPP) by the Russian company “Inter RAO Export” is completed in this city. The gasification of these regional centers will occur through the continuation of the construction of the “Saryarka” main gas pipeline (Kyzylorda – Zhezkazgan – Temirtau – Astana).
The technical and economic justification (TEO) for the construction project of the Kokshetau TPP was previously adjusted. According to the initial TEO, the station was expected to have an electrical capacity of 240 MW and a thermal capacity of 520 Gcal/hour, with a total construction cost of 239.4 billion tenge, of which at least 71.9 billion tenge was to be invested by the investor. It was planned to be commissioned in 2027. The Ministry of Energy announced tenders for the construction of the TPP in Kokshetau twice; however, no potential investors submitted applications.
After that, the government of Kazakhstan unilaterally proposed to Russia to build three TPPs simultaneously – in Kokshetau, Ust-Kamenogorsk, and Semey. By the end of 2023, it became known that the company “Inter RAO – Export,” part of “Inter RAO,” is implementing projects to build TPPs in the regional centers of Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk by constructing new coal energy blocks.
The cost of the Kokshetau TPP, according to the adjusted TEO, will be 347 billion tenge. The station's electrical capacity will be 240 MW, and thermal capacity will be 520 Gcal/hour. The EPC contract, under which the contractor takes responsibility for the design, construction, and commissioning of the facility, was planned to be concluded in the third quarter of 2024, with the station's start-up expected in 2027.
The preliminary cost of the Semey TPP is estimated at 420 billion tenge. The station's electrical capacity will be 360 MW, and thermal capacity will be 742 Gcal/hour. The EPC contract was planned to be signed in the third quarter of 2024, with the TPP expected to be launched in 2027.
The preliminary cost of Ust-Kamenogorsk TPP 2 is estimated at 490 billion tenge. The electrical capacity is 360 MW, and thermal capacity is 1,007 Gcal/hour. Meanwhile, the Akimat of East Kazakhstan region has conducted calculations of prospective electrical and thermal loads in the regional center. The TEO for the project is planned to be completed in December 2024, with the EPC contract to be signed in the first quarter of 2025.
The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan previously published a draft law on the ratification of the agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan and Russia regarding the construction projects of coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs) in the cities of Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk, which provides for the possibility of switching them to gas. The projects involve carrying out work on design, manufacturing and supply of equipment, construction, and commissioning of new TPPs, as well as mechanisms for organizing concessional subsidized financing or considering requests for the provision of a Russian state export loan to the Kazakh side.