BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 12. Kazakhstan has presented the main directions of its National Project on the development of coal-based power generation.
As reported by the country's Ministry of Energy, details of the project were outlined by Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov during the 7th Kazakhstan Coal Industry Forum.
He noted that the national project provides for both the construction of new coal-fired thermal power plants and the deep modernization of existing capacities. A key element of the reform is the introduction of modern environmental solutions, with the coal sector transitioning to the use of best available technologies (BAT).
“The coal industry objectively ensures the country’s basic and stable generation capacity. The state is upgrading this sector to fundamentally new technical standards. The introduction of advanced environmental fuel-cleaning technologies, combined with strict logistics coordination, will make the operation of the domestic coal-based energy system reliable and predictable,” the minister said.
Moreover, it was emphasized that stable growth in power generation is directly linked to fuel supply availability. The development of generating capacities must proceed in sync with investments in coal mining companies, transport infrastructure, and logistics operators.
Akkenzhenov noted that the core of the upcoming plan will include concrete business processes: long-term coal demand forecasting, improved resilience of railway transshipment, strict industrial safety control, development of domestic human capital, and promotion of deep processing projects (coal chemistry). A separate technological focus is placed on digitalization of the sector, ranging from IT-based real-time monitoring of coal production and wagon shipments to smart forecasting of transport bottlenecks along power supply routes.
In March 2026, the government of Kazakhstan approved the National Project on the Development of Coal-Based Power Generation.
The document defines Kazakhstan’s energy security strategy through 2030 and aims to eliminate a shortage of base-load capacity, the demand for which is increasing significantly amid industrialization and the growth of the digital economy.
The national project provides for the commissioning and modernization of 7.8 GW of generating capacity.
It includes the construction of eight new power facilities, among them major projects in Ekibastuz (2,640 MW), Kurchatov (700 MW), and Zhezkazgan (500 MW), as well as the development of modern combined heat and power plants (CHPs) in Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. In parallel, a deep modernization of 11 existing power plants will be carried out, including the Aksu State District Power Plant (GRES), Ekibastuz GRES-2, and the Karaganda energy hub. This will allow the level of physical wear of key equipment in the sector to be reduced by 12.6% by 2030.
