ASTANA – Two hundred and thirty power plants are operating in Kazakhstan, including 156 renewable energy facilities with a total installed capacity of over three gigawatts (GW), said Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov during a July 4 meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.
Photo credit: primeminister.kz
According to the ministry, Kazakhstan produced 117.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2024, as national consumption exceeded this amount, reaching 119.9 billion kilowatt-hours, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
A comprehensive plan is underway to introduce more than 26 gigawatts of additional energy capacity by 2035. This year, the commissioning of 621.5 megawatts of new capacity is expected, including 455.5 megawatts from renewables.
Strategic projects supporting this transition include the construction of low-emission coal plants, such as Ekibastuz GRES-3 (2.6 gigawatts), and a thermal power plant in Kurchatov (600–700 megawatts), as well as the development of a one-gigawatt gas turbine facility in the Turkistan Region. Modernization of existing power stations is also underway.
The national grid operator KEGOC is investing in large-scale infrastructure to integrate renewable energy into the power system and enhance network resilience. In total, KEGOC plans to implement eight major investment projects worth 2.3 trillion tenge (US$4.4 billion).
Also, the government is expanding its digital infrastructure to support economic modernization. The Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry reported that by 2027, some 3,781 rural settlements will be connected to high-speed fiber-optic internet, raising national rural coverage to 90%. Mobile network coverage is expected to reach 99% by 2027, while satellite internet access will be extended to 328 remote locations by the end of this year.
