BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 3
By Nargiz Sadikhova – Trend:
Total, French multinational integrated oil and gas company, aims to increase its portfolio of renewable assets in Kazakhstan’s regions, a representative of the company told Trend.
According to the representative, currently the Total Eren company, of which Total has a 30 percent share, has started the construction of the first two solar plants with a total capacity of 128MWp, in country's Kyzylorda and Zhambyl regions.
As a representative of Total Eren told Trend, in only two years, the company established itself as a meaningful participant in the local renewable energy market.
“We successfully launched the construction of two solar photovoltaic plants totaling 128 MWp (“M-KAT” and “Nomad”), incorporated a local entity with five employees including four local and reached financial close for the two projects last October. We are dedicated to build power plants in countries we believe in and to do what we say we would. This is why we participate in tenders and offer prices only if we are certain to deliver. We believe it is a differentiating feature in a world where a number of players are more interested in making the headlines with extremely aggressive bids than in actually building,” the official said.
Furthermore, according to the Total Eren official, M-KAT and Nomad should enter operation by the end of 2019.
As Total representative noted, company aims to become the responsible energy major, providing reliable and clean energy to as many people as possible.
“Our focus on climate concerns is integral to our strategy. We have singled out five drivers to tackle climate issues: enhancing energy efficiency, growing in natural gas, stepping up our low-carbon electricity activities, promoting sustainable biofuels and investing in carbon storage,” the official said.
Thus, Total will achieve its climate strategy by focusing on oil projects with low breakeven, by expanding along the gas value chain and by developing profitable and sizeable low carbon electricity business.
“We have strengthened our position as renewable energies producer with our companies Sunpower, Saft, and Total Eren, our renewable affiliates,” the representative said.
Active in Kazakhstan since 1993, Total employs about 380 people in the country. The company is one of the main shareholders in the North Caspian Project consortium in charge of developing the giant Kashagan field (16.81 percent), and it operates the Dunga project (60 percent).
Total is also expanding a distribution network in Central Asia for Total-branded lubricants, developing renewable energy projects via its subsidiary Total Eren, and providing leading industrial power storage solutions via its subsidiary Saft.
---
Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh