Kazakhstan’s grid developer, JSC Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Management Company (KEGOC), has launched the South Kazakhstan Electricity Transmission Reinforcement Project to strengthen the grid and accommodate the planned increase in renewable energy capacity in the southern region of Kazakhstan.
This ambitious project aims to construct the 475-km, 500 kV Shu–Zhambyl–Shymkent overhead transmission line and reconstruct three existing substations in the Zhambyl and Turkestan regions by 2027. It also involves reinforcing the 220 kV networks of the Almaty power region. The feasibility of the project was approved in February 2023. Additionally, a promising project is planned for the west of the country, to connect the energy system of western Kazakhstan with the country’s unified power system (UPS). This strategic project involves the construction of power grid facilities to enhance energy security, reduce energy dependence in western regions, and improve power supply reliability for consumers. The project is expected to be completed in 2028. The projects have been launched in response to the approved plan for the Republic of Kazakhstan’s electric power industry development for 2023-29, which states that the maximum electrical load on the grid is expected to reach 22.9 GW in 2029, compared to approximately 16.5 GW in 2022. Electricity generation is forecasted to reach 146 GWh in 2029 and 153 GWh in 2035. However, meeting this demand requires significant additional capacity of 11.7 GW over the expected installed capacity of 27.7 GW by 2029.