BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 20. Kazakhstan will reconstruct at least 40 kilometers of heating network in Kostanay region each year starting in 2023, Trend reports, citing Kazakh media.
The aim of the measure is to reduce the level of wear and tear of the network to 40 percent, now equaling 64 percent.
The reconstruction of the mentioned heating network includes a number of projects. For example, currently, the regional municipality works on implementation of five projects worth 8.6 billion Kazakh tenge ($19.25 million). In addition, the regional authorities wait for the greenlight on additional eight projects worth 16.5 billion Kazakh tenge ($36.95 million). These projects are subject to approval from state budget authorities. The implementation of the said initiatives will decrease the wear and tear of the network by 2 percent.
The local municipality also revealed that 18 additional projects are currently under technical review. Their approval will lead to improving the condition of the network by an additional 3.6 percent. The cost of these projects is estimated to be around 17 billion Kazakh tenge ($38.07 million).
Earlier, Kazakh government officials stated that the reconstruction and modernization of heating networks and heat production enterprises need to be carried out systematically. The current poor condition of networks leads to a loss of efficiency, a high amount of shutdowns, and accidents.
Consequently, Kazakh president initiated systemic modernization of the heating infrastructure, which is expected to reduce the wear and tear of the heating industry significantly before the end of 2029.