National news in brief

The Denis Ten Public Foundation will be created in Almaty, according to Kazinform. The city administration also plans to open a figure skating academy and hold an annual international tournament in memory of the Olympic bronze medallist. A monument will be set at the site where Ten was stubbed to death July 19. “We thank all Kazakh people for their support in these difficult days. Many ideas and proposals were voiced honouring the memory of Denis. We are already working with the state authorities to implement some of them. All our proposals are supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The authorities will install a plaque on our house, where Denis was born and lived, and will help publish a book about him,” said his mother, Oksana Ten.

A 21-billion tenge (US$58 million) integrated gas processing facility creating 258 jobs will be built this year in Aktobe region. “The new facility will increase the processing of associated gas and develop new types of products. The annual capacity is expected to be 300 million cubic metres of dry stripped gas, 37,000 tonnes of propane-butane technical mixture, 5,400 tonnes of gas condensate and 10,500 tonnes of sulphur. It will improve the environment situation, too,” said Baiganin District Deputy Akim (Mayor) Zhandarbek Zhanabai.

Samruk-Kazyna Trust will build in excess of 40 sports playgrounds on more than 53,000 square metres in ten regions, reported the company’s press service Aug. 9. The project, which aims to promote a healthy lifestyle among the population, will include football and hockey fields with artificial turf, workout areas and inclusive playgrounds. The project is one of the main directions of the Menin Elim (My Homeland) initiative launched in 2016. “We encourage more and more people to participate in sports and this is also a safe zone for children. Last year, new playgrounds were opened in Akmola, Aktobe, Mangistau, Pavlodar and the West Kazakhstan regions,” said Samruk-Kazyna Trust social project development fund General Director Diyas Azbergenov.

A 5.4-billion tenge (US$15 million) waste sorting plant creating 530 new jobs was launched in technical mode Aug. 9 in Almaty, reported Kazinform. Sites for secondary raw material processing will be also opened. Solid household waste represents up to 95 percent of all municipal waste. “Its design capacity of 550,000 tonnes per year is the entire volume of solid household waste taking into account the next five years. Now, the city produces approximately 600,000 tonnes of waste. We plan to cover the whole city. There are plans to extract about 50,000 tonnes of secondary raw materials from waste,” said investing company head Dmitry Danilchenko.

An Almaty plant with a capacity of 100 buses a year will produce the first German Eurabus electric buses this autumn. “The investment project costs $44 million. Colossal work is being done to develop electric transport and to improve the ecological situation. This project will upgrade electric buses and create more than 400 jobs,” said Kazakh Invest regional office head Zhandos Orazaliyev. Seven investment projects worth $252 million will also be launched, including a steel pipe production plant, cable and wire production plant and two building material hypermarkets. Almaty is the most attractive city in the country for doing business, with approximately 7,500 foreign companies participating.

Almaty-based Chilik Farmers won London’s CSR Excellence Award in the Best Social and Economic Project of the Year category. The project was initiated in 2013 by a community fund in Enbekshikazakh district. “Our objective is to develop the agriculture sector, improve the quality and competitiveness of agricultural products and improve the quality of life in villages. We organise trainings, seminars and consultations at the agribusiness centre and meet with local farmers to exchange experiences and adopt best practices,” said the company’s press release. Earlier, the project won the Best Partner Project of the Year nomination by the European Business Association of Kazakhstan (EUROBAK) and received a major award from the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan.

A contest has been announced for best construction of a four-star hotel on Lake Alakol. Local authorities will allocate land and provide the necessary engineering infrastructure and a special commission headed by the regional governor will select the winner. The project will be financed by Ak Niet regional programme at an interest rate of 8.5 percent up to seven years with support from Damu Enterprise Development Fund and East Kazakhstan region. Forty-four regional projects were approved for 2.7 billion tenge (US$7 million) and 38 projects were financed for 2.3 billion tenge (US$6 million).

 


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