Zhetysu Region to launch several hydroelectric power plants

Zhetysu Region to launch several hydroelectric power plants

This year, four new hydroelectric power stations with a total cost of over 21 billion tenge will be commissioned in the Zhetisu region. A comprehensive plan for the development of green energy is now being implemented there, with plans to generate 54 million kilowatt-hours of power annually from a renewable energy facility on the Baskan River. A key feature of this project is the use of hydroelectric power station water for irrigation. Similar stations are also under construction in two other districts of the region.

“The Baskan Hydroelectric Power Plant-1 was constructed in December 2015 and has been operational since then. All administrative work is managed from the main water intake facility,” said Yermek Kaliyev, engineer at a hydroelectric power plant.

“Currently under construction is the Baskan Hydroelectric Power Plant-2, situated downstream of the first plant and upstream of the third and fourth ones. Plans are also in place to build the fifth plant with a capacity of around 10 megawatts or slightly more, and is scheduled for commissioning in August,” noted Anuarbek Tukenov, specialist at the energy, housing and utilities department of the Zhetysu region.

To date, a total of 15 renewable energy facilities harnessing water, wind, and solar power operate in the Zhetisu region. Seven more alternative energy stations are set to be established over the next two years. The volume of electricity generated by renewable energy sources in the region now accounts for 75 percent of the total output produced by local power plants.