BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 18. A number of projects in the generation sector are being developed to cover the medium-term demand for electricity, Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Bolat Akchulakov said during a governmental meeting, Trend report citing Kazakh government.
As part of the restoration and expansion work of existing power-generating organizations, an additional 2.3 GW will be commissioned.
In addition, projects for the construction of new power plants with a total capacity of over 2 GW are at various stages of implementation.
According to Akchulakov, most parts of the expansion work projects to an additional 2.3 GW provide for the commissioning of coal-fired generation.
"The availability of coal and a developed transport infrastructure determine the reliability of coal-fired generation and the low cost of electricity, which is the basis for the competitiveness of the economy," he said.
Akchulakov said that when implementing these projects modern technology including the technology of 'clean coal' (advanced flue gas filtration systems, carbon dioxide capture technologies, in-cycle coal gasification, etc.) will be used
He also spoke about the prospects for the development of renewable energy sources (RES) in the country.
"Today, more than 140 renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of about 2,300 MW operate in Kazakhstan, the share of renewable energy sources in total electricity generation is 3.7 percent. The total volume of attracted investments in the renewable energy sector has exceeded 1 trillion tenge ($2.3 billion)," Akchulakov said.
This year, according to him, the volume of electricity from RES is projected at 4.5 billion kWh or 4 percent of the total generation.
At the same time, within the framework of agreements signed with the settlement and financial center, it is planned to additionally commission 48 renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of over 850 MW within 3 years.
In addition, as part of the execution of the instructions of the head of state, negotiations are ongoing with companies from France, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, which are taking the initiative to implement large-scale projects for the construction of renewable energy facilities.
These companies offer to realize the cost of electricity below the current auction prices and ask to conclude individual agreements.
"According to the target indicators, the share of renewable energy in the total electricity generation should be 6 percent by 2025. As part of taking measures to achieve this indicator, it is planned to hold auctions for renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 690 MW in November this year," Akchulakov said.
According to him, the holding of these auctions will be ensured thanks to increased measures to support investors in the renewable energy sector this year.