500 MW wind power plant to be built in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is planning to implement a major green energy project — the construction of a 500 MW wind power plant in the Karaganda region with Chinese investment, Qazinform News Agency quotes Turar Alimzhan, Director of the Renewable Energy Department at the Ministry of Energy, as saying on the sidelines of the Regional Environmental Summit 2026 (RES) in Astana.
According to him, the facility is scheduled to be commissioned by 2029.
“A 500 MW wind power plant will be built in the Karaganda region. The project is being implemented with Chinese investment and is expected to be completed by 2029,” Alimzhan said.
In addition, authorities are considering the construction of an even larger project in the Pavlodar region — a 1 GW wind power plant under international agreements.
At the same time, Turar Alimzhan noted that it is difficult to determine the exact number of consumers such stations can supply, as electricity generation directly depends on wind conditions.
“Power generation depends on wind conditions: output decreases when winds are weak and increases when they are strong. Therefore, it is difficult to link capacity to a specific number of consumers,” he explained.
The Director of the Renewable Energy Department also said that the share of green energy in Kazakhstan’s energy mix reached about 7.7% last year, with the country aiming to increase this figure to 15% by 2030.
“A number of projects are already being implemented in this direction, including the construction of a 500 MW wind power plant,” he added.
Separately, the Energy Ministry representative highlighted water-energy cooperation in Central Asia, noting that the existing resource exchange mechanism between regional countries remains in place.
“We supply electricity and receive water resources in return. This is a mutual process carried out throughout the year,” he said.
He also recalled Kazakhstan’s plans, together with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, to build the Kambar-Ata hydropower plant with the participation of international financial institutions, including the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the World Bank.
“The project will allow water resources to be accumulated in winter and used efficiently in summer,” Alimzhan noted.
According to the Energy Ministry, Kazakhstan generally meets its domestic electricity demand. However, minor imports occur during certain hours, amounting to around 3–4% annually.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that British oil and gas companies Shell and BP will continue operating in Kazakhstan, as they look forward to developing cooperation.
