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.
