BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 29. Kazakhstan's domestic coal demand remains high and is increasingly driven by the power generation sector, according to the National Energy Report prepared by the Kazenergy Association in cooperation with S&P Global.
Visible coal consumption in Kazakhstan reached 86.1 million tonnes in 2025, the report says.
The share of power plants in total coal consumption increased from 68% in 2015 to 78% in 2025. Over the same period, the share of industry, where coal is used mainly in metallurgy and coke production, declined from 25% to 11%.
At the same time, coal-fired power generation has been designated a state priority to help meet the expected significant increase in electricity demand from energy-intensive consumers, including data centers and industry, over the medium term.
Kazakhstan's national project for the development of coal-fired power generation provides for the addition of 7.8 gigawatts (GW) of capacity by 2030. This includes 5.3 GW from the construction of new coal-fired power plants and 2.5 GW from the modernization and expansion of 11 existing facilities.
According to estimates cited in the report, this capacity expansion could increase annual coal consumption by up to 20 million tonnes by 2032.
The report says new and modernized coal-fired power plants are expected to use more efficient coal combustion methods and improved technologies to reduce harmful emissions. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems are also mentioned as a potential measure to mitigate environmental impacts, although the report notes that there is no publicly available evidence confirming plans to implement such systems.
