Kazakhstan to invest at least $15.9 bln in coal-fired power generation by 2030Kazakhstan's government has approved a national project to develop coal-fired power generation through 2030, the government press service said.The plan will address the shortage of basic power generation capacity, the need for which is increasing exponentially amid industrialization and the development of the digital economy."The projects will be financed from extra-budgetary funds through investment. The total investment will be at least 7.5 trillion tenge" or $15.6 billion at the current rate, the statement reads.The project calls for commissioning and renovating 7.8 GW of capacity. The construction of eight new plants is planned, the biggest of them in Ekibastuz (2,640 MW), Kurchatov (700 MW) and Zhezkazgan (500 MW), as well as the construction of modern combined heat and power plants in Kokshetau, Semey and Ust-Kamenogorsk.Extensive modernization will begin at 11 existing power plants, including the Aksu and Ekibastuz-2 state district power plants and Karaganda Power Hub, which will reduce equipment wear in the sector by 12.6%.Additional demand for thermal coal will be approximately 20 million tonnes per year. To achieve this, the project includes expanding the gondola car fleet by an additional 600 units per day, modernizing railway infrastructure and introducing predictable tariff corridors to transport fuel for internal needs. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX