Wind energy in Kazakhstan

Central Asian Green Power, a JV between Kazakh company Visor Group and the Turkish subsidiary of Italy’s Relight Group, is looking to build two wind power plants with a combined capacity of 600 MW in the south of the country at an estimated cost of US$1bn. Construction is expected to take two years.

While Kazakhstan has yet to embrace wind energy to the same extent as Europe, its sheer size and the exposed nature of the steppe provides plenty of wind resource. 

The south of the country is largely dependent on imported electricity from Uzbekistan or coal from northern Kazakhstan. A memorandum signed between Central Asia Green Power and the Kazakhstani state grid company KEGOC, called for the construction of two wind farm pnatss – Zhanatas and Shokpar wind farm , with capacities of 400MW and 200MW, respectively.

UNDP and SWF “Samruk-Kazyna” organized the seminar on the power system assessment for the development of wind energy in Kazakhstan. Participants included – the representatives of Samruk-Kazyna, KEGOC, MINT of RK, ADB, US Embassy, Engineering Institutions and investors. During the meeting the specialist of Finnish company VTT presented the final report on power system assessment for wind energy development in Kazakhstan. This is the first research work in the field of wind energy ever made in Kazakhstan.

According to the report the power system of the country is centrally balanced. This helps the integration of wind power as there can be maximal smoothing effect of wind turbines generation: total wind energy production capacity in Kazakhstan will seldom be above 80 % or below 10 % of installed capacity.

www.windenergy.kz/