Almost 40 percent of Kazakhstan's territory is rich with geothermal hot water. The experience of its use is applied in many states, including Iceland, the US, Canada, and Turkey. In the near future, the first geothermal power station works on which have already started, will appear in Kazakhstan, bnews.kz reported.
Underground resources will generate electricity and heat.
A geothermal power station has a unique distinction which is its operation irrespective of a solar cycle, wind and other weather changes, important for Kazakhstan with an extreme continental climate. The station's efficiency is 96 percent, by 5 times higher than that of solar panels.
Meanwhile, following the preliminary data, the country has a sufficient amount of resources so to provide at least 1/4 of the territory with hot water.
"Kazakhstan has the Institute of Hydrogeology and Hydroecology that presented the primary data saying the large part of the territory - almost 40 percent - has resources of geothermal hot water. The temperature varies, with the temperature from 70 to 1600 C at some depths. We are to define the regions, pilot projects, changes are necessary to make in the legislation so to develop a technical document," said Arman Satimov, an advisor to the Chairman of the KAZENERGY Association.
The implementation of such a first project can be a breakthrough in alternative energy development. Studies are underway in this direction, and the Programme of Energy-Saving is still current in the country.
"Energy-saving is also energy, it is three times cheaper than the production of new generation. Instead of investing 100 million dollars to create an energy platform, it is simpler to invest $20-30 million to preserve the Programme of Energy-Saving, that have already been implemented in Kazakhstan, involving street, industrial and porch lightening," said Arman Satimov.
As part of the concept of Kazakhstan's switch to a 'green economy', it is planned to reach a 10% increase in the share of alternative energy sources by 2030 and a 50-percent increase by 2050. It is expected that it will not only have environmental effects but also increase the competition among power producers leading to decrease in tariffs.