ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 7. Production volume of existing energy sources in Kazakhstan will decrease by 2035, said Kazakh Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev during a meeting with youth at the Kokshetau University, Trend reports.
"By 2035, electricity consumption is projected to be at the level of 152.4 billion kWh. At the same time, the output of energy sources operating today will decrease for a number of objective reasons and will amount to less than 135 billion kWh. In this regard, by 2035, it is necessary to ensure the introduction of new generating capacities with a total capacity of 26.5 GW," he said.
The minister noted that today the main share of electricity generation in the country comes from coal-fired power plants, which provide 66 percent of the total output, while the share of renewable energy generation has reached about 6 percent.
"The entire world is now moving towards carbon neutrality. Therefore, international financial institutions refuse to invest in the construction of coal power plants. At the same time, Kazakhstan also cannot implement a large-scale introduction of gas generation due to the limited gas resources in the country. In turn, renewable energy sources cannot serve as a reliable base source of electricity generation due to their dependence on natural and climatic conditions, which make their operation unpredictable. This is why the construction of a nuclear power plant seems to be the only correct solution for replacing decommissioned capacities and ensuring energy independence of Kazakhstan," he concluded.
Furthermore, electricity production in Kazakhstan amounted to 112.8 billion kWh in 2023. Electricity imports during this period amounted to 3.4 billion kWh, and exports were 1.4 billion kWh.
In 2023, the volume of electricity consumption was at the level of 115 billion kWh (in 2022, 112.9 billion kWh).