ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 24. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts an increase in electricity consumption in Kazakhstan from 2024 through 2026, Trend reports.
According to the report, Kazakhstan’s electricity demand is forecast to grow by around 2.2 percent per year between 2024 and 2026, largely to be met by expanding gas-fired power generation.
"There are also plans for Russia’s Inter RAO to construct three coal-fired power plants in Kazakhstan, which would be relevant outside our forecast period," the IEA said.
IEA noted that electricity consumption in Kazakhstan returned to growth and increased by more than 2 percent year over year in the first ten months of 2023, following a decline of 1.4 percent in 2022 amidst slower economic growth.
Fossil-based thermal generation accounts for nearly 90 percent of the country’s generation mix, with coal providing 60 percent, while gas-fired power has a share of 27 percent.
"The share of coal is expected to decrease to 56 percent by 2026, while that of gas rises to 32 percent. Hydropower generation declined by 4.6 percent year over year, while fossil-based thermal generation fell by 1 percent compared to the same period in 2022," the IEA said.
As noted in the report, the gap between demand and domestic generation was bridged by higher electricity imports from Russia, which surged by 75 percent year over year in the first ten months of 2023. Domestic power generation was largely supported by stronger wind power output, which increased substantially by 35 percent year over year.