ASTANA – Fifty-eight Kazakh enterprises currently use renewable energy sources (RES) with a total capacity of 352 megawatts, figures expected to reach 68 facilities and approximately 490 megawatts by the end of the year, said Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev during the June 5 government meeting devoted to implementing the concept to Kazakhstan’s transition to green economy for 2014-2017.
Photo credit: soha.vn
The greening of the power sector is based on developing renewable energy, reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the energy sector and gasifying the country. Approximately 1.1 billion kilowatt hours of green energy were produced in 2017 and another 138 megawatts of renewable energy are expected to be introduced this year, he noted.
“In the long term, the decline in the cost of RES is associated with the introduction of the auction mechanism. On the one hand, this will make the selection of projects and investors transparent and understandable; on the other hand, more efficient technologies and projects will minimise the impact on the tariffs of end users through the introduction of renewable energy capacities,” he added.
Gas power stations generated 20.2 percent of electricity last year, with a planned target of 20 percent by 2020. Gas turbine power stations built along the Beineu-Bozoi-Shymkent gas pipeline are set to ensure the growth of gas-fired power plants. The ministry is also working with the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund to transfer Almaty Thermal Power Plant No. 2 to gas.
The challenges to construct counter-regulators at the Shulba hydro power plant on the Irtysh River are being studied to develop hydropower.
Reporting on the implementation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s five social initiatives, Bozumbayev noted the specifics are being worked out to construct the first stage of the 1,081-kilometre Saryarka main gas pipeline along the Kyzylorda-Zhezkazgan-Karaganda-Astana route. The section will provide natural gas to thermal power stations in the capital, two regions and 171 settlements.
To reduce the emission of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere, measures were taken to de-nitrate and de-sulphurise exhaust gases and dust. Working in conjunction with energy producing organisations, a plan is being developed this year for long-term, phased-in measures to reduce emissions at thermal power plants. In accordance with Eurasian Customs Union technical regulations, requirements for fuel quality will be raised from the K2 standard to K4 and K5 in the second half of the year, leading to a significant reduction in air emissions from motor vehicles.
A regulatory legal framework has been established for waste management to define the requirements for secondary raw materials, separate collection processing and disposal. Relevant projects are being implemented to improve the effectiveness of the solid waste management systems in the capital and Almaty.
