ASTANA – A power outage in western Kazakhstan caused by another emergency shutdown at the Mangystau Atomic Energy Complex (MAEC) forced the Mangystau Region Akimat (governor’s office) to roll out controlled blackouts of three to five hours a week, the governor’s office informed on Aug. 14.
Photo credit: inform.kz. Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times.
The cities of Aktau and Zhanaozen and several villages will experience staggered electricity outages through at least Aug. 18 until the power grid is fully restored.
The Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company reported that two turbine units were switched off at the MAEC’s combined heat and power plant-2 on Aug. 11, which led to subsequent disconnections in the Atyrau and Mangystau power grids.
Power unit No. 3 at the MAEC’s thermal power station was then shut down with a decrease in load by 147 megawatts (MW).
Another shutdown previously occurred on July 3, when a 130-megawatt power unit of the MAEC switched off, overloading the generation system across the area and causing a blackout in western Kazakhstan.
According to Zhumabai Karagayev, the First Deputy Akim (governor) of the Mangystau Region, the MAEC’s total power generation capacity is 545 MW. However, due to the forced shutdown of power units at the two power plants, production capacity has now decreased to 245 MW.
The region’s administration established an emergency response team that worked out various scenarios and drew up a schedule for electricity supply on Aug. 14. The team prioritized social facilities, such as hospitals and kindergartens, saying that the power outage would primarily affect industrial facilities.
Karagayev said the administration is considering introducing a state of emergency.
“However, at this stage we believe that this measure will not bring desired results, as the state of emergency allows us to impose restrictions that only affect public procurement,” he added.
Karagayev urged residents to conserve electricity until the power units at the MAEC are restored.
The outages have led to a decrease in oil output in the Mangystau Region, possibly affecting the forecast for oil production until year-end.
The country’s Energy Ministry will continue to monitor oil production amidst the impact of power outages in the region. As a result, the forecast for oil output may be adjusted.
