ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 10. Samruk-Kazyna will complete key projects, including a gas pipeline and a desalination plant, in 2025 and plans major investment projects, said the Chairman of the Samruk-Kazyna Fund, Nurlan Zhakupov, during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, Trend reports.
The results of the Fund's work in 2024 were reviewed, along with issues of its further development in light of the tasks set by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during an expanded government meeting.
Nurlan Zhakupov, the Chairman of the Board of Samruk-Kazyna,
reported on the implementation of investment projects. To ensure
uninterrupted electricity supply, the first energy unit of the
Ekibastuz-1 (public district power plant) was restored, increasing
its capacity to 4000 MW. As part of environmental improvement
efforts, a gas infrastructure project was implemented for Almaty’s
Heat and Power Center-2 and Heat and Power Center-3.
To increase the efficiency of the Karachaganak field, a fifth
compressor for reverse injection was introduced. In the transport
and logistics sector, a cargo terminal was built in the city of
Xi'an in China, which reduced delivery times and improved the
attractiveness of Kazakhstan’s routes. Additionally, over 250 km of
gas pipelines and 500 km of railway tracks were laid, and train
service was launched on 132 km of second tracks of
"Dostyk-Moyynty." Furthermore, unique projects for Kazakhstan were
initiated, such as the construction of a pumped-storage
hydroelectric station and the first digital substation in the city
of Astana.
Currently, the list includes 46 investment projects in the oil and gas, petrochemical, energy, transport and logistics, and other sectors, totaling 33.3 trillion tenge or approximately $63.27 billion.
This year, the completion of gas supply to 66 settlements in the
Zhetysu region of Kazakhstan is planned, with the commissioning of
the main gas pipeline "Taldykorgan-Usharal." The issue of water
shortage in the city of Zhanaozen and the Mangistau region is
planned to be solved by launching a desalination plant with a
capacity of 50,000 m³/day in Kenderli.
A significant boost to transit development will come from
increasing the capacity of the Trans-Caspian International
Transport Route (TITR) and the Dostyk-Moyynty railway section. To
meet domestic market needs, diesel fuel hydro-purification will be
installed at the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant (PPP), and bitumen
production will be expanded at CASPI BITUM. Special attention is
being paid to the progress of the second section of the main gas
pipeline "Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent," which will increase capacity to
15 billion m³ of gas per year, including discussions on
co-investment tools.
The projected share of local content in the projects varies by sector. For example, in transport and logistics, the local content share is 85 percent; in energy projects, 60 percent; and in other projects, including the desalination plant, SEZ infrastructure, comfortable schools, 5G network construction, and the laying of fiber-optic communication lines (FOCL), 80 percent.
The prime minister noted the need to strengthen efforts to attract private investments for the implementation of important national projects.
"As President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized, our work should prioritize large infrastructure and industrial projects, the development of transport and logistics, as well as digitalization and artificial intelligence. The government will monitor the implementation status of key national projects. We need to actively involve co-investors, gradually reducing the state’s share in the economy," emphasized Olzhas Bektanov.
The head of the government also highlighted the necessity of optimizing processes and strict control over project timelines to avoid delays and unjustified cost increases.
To note, in 2024, additional support measures for domestic producers were introduced. Offtake contracts worth 191 billion tenge (approximately $362 million) were signed, ten times more than in 2023. Additionally, the Fund’s procurement system was recognized for meeting the advanced standards of the EBRD, ADB, and OECD.
