30 out of 37 thermal power plants have a high accident rate
The total length of heating networks in Kazakhstan is 13 thousand kilometers. Of these, more than half — about 7 thousand — require replacement. The greatest wear and tear is observed in Ekibastuz, Pavlodar and Stepnogorsk. Damage there is estimated at more than 80%. At the same time, in winter, the temperature in these cities sometimes drops to minus 49 degrees. Next in the anti-rating are Atbasar, Petropavlovsk, Arkalyk, Rudny and Mangystau. Wear and tear in these cities is more than 70%.
There are 37 thermal power plants in the country. Of these, 12 are state-owned , three are quasi-state , i.e. owned by Samruk-Energy, and 22 are private . After the 2022 accidents, the Ministry of Energy inspected each thermal power plant and divided them into three risk zones: “red” with a high degree of danger, a slightly calmer “yellow” and a relatively safe “green”.
Only seven thermal power plants were in the green zone, 11 in the yellow zone, and 19 in the red zone, mostly state-owned. Of those stations that belong to the government, officials considered only two to be safe. Both of them are located in Astana.
The analysis took into account four criteria: equipment wear, the number of technological failures, the service life, and the lack of personnel due to low wages.
Thus, in September of this year, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov visited the thermal power plant in Stepnogorsk, where more than 70% of the pipes are worn out. During the visit, the director of the thermal power plant spoke about the shortage of 120 people on the staff. At the same time, they are still trying to solve the personnel issue. For example, by raising the average salary to 380 thousand, increasing the number of grants for technical specialties in the energy sector, and also by creating social conditions for workers.
Let us recall that after the accidents in 2022, the government acquired the Ekibastuz TPP for only one tenge. A little later, it was transferred to the trust management of the Energy Solution Center company, which is owned by Samruk-Energo. The emergency Ridder TPP, as well as two thermal power plants in the city of Aktau, were also transferred to municipal ownership.
It is worth noting that not a single new thermal power plant was built during independent Kazakhstan. All those that are in operation today were built during the Soviet era. Some were built in the 50s and 60s of the last century.
The state still promises to build three new thermal power plants soon. They will be located in Semey, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Kokshetau. They write that the development of a "feasibility study" has already begun for them. This is a document that analyzes the feasibility of creating a particular facility. It turns out that construction has not yet begun, and a number of bureaucratic procedures still need to be completed before it begins. The exact dates for commissioning the thermal power plants are still unknown, but according to the preliminary plan, completion is predicted for the end of 2029 or the beginning of 2030.