ALMATY – Kazakhstan is moving ahead with a $1.4 billion renewable energy project with Masdar, a leading renewable energy company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the country seeks to expand wind generation while addressing electricity shortages and building a more flexible power system.
The development was discussed Sept. 8 during a meeting between Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov, Masdar’s Deputy Chairman for Business and Projects Abdullah Zayed and UAE Ambassador to Kazakhstan Mohamed Saeed Mohamed Al-Ariki. Photo credit: samruk-green.kz Click to see the map in full size.
The map is designed by The Astana Times. The meeting focused on the implementation of a 1-gigawatt wind power plant with an integrated energy storage system in the Zhambyl Region, as well as prospects for expanding cooperation in renewable energy. The project, being developed within the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Masdar, is expected to attract approximately $1.4 billion in investment.
It will include a 1,000-megawatt wind farm and a 300-megawatt battery storage system with a capacity of 600 megawatt-hours. Full commissioning is scheduled for the third quarter of 2029. From a wind project to a test of Kazakhstan’s energy transition The Zhambyl project comes as Kazakhstan moves toward a more complex phase of renewable-energy development.
Increasing installed capacity is only one part of the transition. The country also needs storage, modern transmission networks and regulatory mechanisms capable of balancing electricity generated from weather-dependent sources. From L to R: Masdar’s Deputy Chairman for Business and Projects Abdullah Zayed, UAE Ambassador to Kazakhstan Mohamed Saeed Mohamed Al-Ariki and Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov.
Photo credit: Ministry of Energy. The storage component of the Masdar project is particularly important in this context. Wind generation can fluctuate with weather conditions, while electricity demand changes throughout the day. A large-scale storage system can help absorb excess generation and make electricity available when renewable output declines or demand rises.
The Energy Ministry has identified energy storage as a strategic priority. Speaking at the Go Net Zero – Central Asia and Caspian business summit, Turar Alimzhan, director of the ministry’s Department of Renewable Energy, said legislation on energy storage systems is currently under consideration, alongside a long-term concept for the development of green energy.
“We are moving toward this goal systematically. The law on energy storage systems is already under consideration, and this is one of our strategic priorities,” he said. Under Kazakhstan’s electricity-sector development plan through 2035, the country intends to implement at least 8.4 GW of installed renewable-energy capacity.
That target means that the next challenge will increasingly be not simply generating renewable electricity, but ensuring that it can be reliably delivered to consumers. The Masdar project has already moved beyond the planning stage