Increase in installed capacity of renewable energy in Kazakhstan

    Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy Nodiaev recently revealed that thanks to a series of support measures taken by the government, Kazakhstan’s Complete Solar Power Kits renewable energy industry has developed steadily. The total installed capacity of renewable energy has increased from 178 MW in 2014 to 1,635 MW in 2020.

    The development of renewable energy is Kazakhstan's national strategy. In 2009, Kazakhstan passed the "Law on Supporting the Utilization of Renewable Energy" and established a renewable energy financing settlement center to provide policy and financial support for the development of related projects. Taking full advantage of their own advantages, all parts of the country have built a large number of wind power, water power, biomass and photovoltaic power stations.

    The governor of Zhambyl State, located in southern Kazakhstan, recently announced that there are 13 renewable energy power stations in the area, which account for 20% of the country’s total power generation from renewable energy power stations. In the future, the state plans to build two wind power stations and two hydropower stations with a total installed capacity of 98.2 MW. "It is estimated that by 2022, the total installed capacity of renewable energy power stations in Zhambyl State will reach 430.6 MW."

    According to statistics from the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, there are currently 116 renewable energy projects in Kazakhstan, including 29 wind power stations, 44 photovoltaic power stations, 38 hydroelectric power stations and 5 biomass power stations. By the end of 2020, Kazakhstan's renewable energy power generation accounted for 3% of the country's total power generation. According to the plan, the proportion of renewable energy power generation will increase to 6% by 2025, 10% in 2030, and further increase to 50% in 2050.

    The Kazakh government is promoting the implementation of the "Green Economy Transition Concept". Improving the ecological environment is one of the government's priority tasks. The development of new energy industries is an important tool to achieve this goal. Prime Minister Ma Ming emphasized that the government will continue to adopt various measures including the integration of renewable energy power station production capacity to create necessary conditions for industrial development.

    In order to promote the development of the renewable energy industry, Kazakhstan continues to expand financing channels. According to Nodiaev, since the establishment of the Renewable Energy Financing Settlement Center, a total of 626 billion tenge (approximately 9.644 billion yuan) has been attracted. In order to attract more investment, Kazakhstan has signed cooperation agreements with many international financial institutions in recent years. “At present, investors from 10 countries and regions, as well as large financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Kazakhstan Development Bank, have provided financing support for Kazakhstan’s green energy industry. In addition, some foreign energy companies in Kazakhstan also plan Enter the renewable energy industry."

    Chinese companies actively participate in the development of Kazakhstan's renewable energy industry. Zanatas Wind Power Station has a total installed capacity of 100 MW. It is invested and constructed by China Power International Co., Ltd. and is the largest wind power project in Central Asia. The six wind power and photovoltaic projects constructed and operated by Mannatech Energy Co., Ltd. have a total installed capacity of 380 MW. The 1 MW photovoltaic power station and the 5 MW wind power station built with the aid of the Chinese government and undertaken by CITIC Construction Co., Ltd. have played a demonstrative role in Kazakhstan. Analysts believe that the smooth implementation of related Chinese-funded projects is of great significance to Kazakhstan's completion of the renewable energy construction plan and the realization of environmental protection and economic transformation goals.