ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 21. Kazakhstan plans to deploy a network of energy storage systems (ESS) with a total capacity of 1.6 GW and construct its first pumped-storage hydropower plants (PSHPs), Trend reports via the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan.
The project was announced during a meeting of the ministry's Public Council, chaired by Zhakyp Khairushev and attended by Vice Minister Sungat Yesimkhanov.
The development of the energy storage market is driven by the increasing integration of renewable energy sources into the national grid. These industrial storage units are designed to harvest electricity generated by wind and solar farms and release it back into the network during peak consumption hours.
Currently, international companies including TotalEnergies, Masdar, China Power, and China Energy are involved in constructing wind farms with capacities of up to 1 GW each. The framework of each project requires the installation of a 300 MW energy storage system.
Additionally, to improve grid flexibility and balance load fluctuations, the country is exploring the construction of pumped-storage hydropower facilities. Two PSHP projects are currently under review in the Almaty region. These plants will function by pumping water to an upper reservoir during periods of surplus electricity and releasing it through turbines to generate power when demand spikes.
