Owners of small-scale renewable
energy facilities in Kazakhstan will have the opportunity to sell surplus
electricity without registering as individual entrepreneurs. These facilities
may include solar panels or small wind turbines with a capacity of up to 200
kilowatts. The corresponding draft law on supporting the use of renewable
energy sources was approved by the Mazhilis, a Lower House of the Kazakh Parliament,
on first reading. According to Mazhilis members, considering the annual growth
in electricity consumption, the country’s residents will be able to use this
energy for their own needs, agricultural and farming enterprises, as well as
for single-family homes and apartment buildings. The document also eliminates
various barriers for suppliers of green energy. The right to set the maximum
price for it remains with the Committee for Regulation of Natural Monopolies.
Additionally, authorized bodies will also approve rules for connecting
small-scale renewable energy facilities to the general power grid and standard
contracts for purchasing and selling electric energy from net consumers. As for
small hydropower plants, the bill grants them the right to directly sell
electric energy to companies supplying it to individual private enterprises.
“A solar panel can now produce
200 kilowatt-hours, compared to its previous capacity of up to 100
kilowatt-hours. This applies to small and medium-sized enterprises,
single-family homes, schools and other social facilities. Out of the 200
kilowatt-hours, I have only used 50 kilowatt-hours, and I can sell the
remaining 150 kilowatt-hours to the energy supply organization at the maximum
tariff. Transportation of this electricity is provided free of charge,” said Mazhilis
member Baurzhan Smagulov.