Kazakhstan Strengthens Southern Region's Power Grid to Enhance Energy Supply Reliability

The Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in collaboration with JSC "KEGOC," is launching significant projects to bolster the national electricity grid. The increasing demand for electricity and growing production require the grid infrastructure to have greater capacity and reliability.

To increase the reliability of energy supply to consumers in the southern regions and reduce the risks of emergencies related to the operating modes of Central Asia's power systems, the southern region's electric grid needs strengthening. Currently, two 500 kV transmission lines, "Shu – Zhambyl" and "Zhambyl – Shymkent," are under construction. Once operational, the "North – South" transit capacity along the "Almaty – Zhambyl" section will increase by 440 MW. The additional grid capacity will allow for connecting new generation sources, more flexible load distribution, and reduced impact of grid limitations. Project completion is scheduled for mid-2027.

Simultaneously, there is a project underway to integrate the Western Kazakhstan power system with the main part of the Unified Energy System of the country. Within its framework, the 500 kV "Ölke – Karabatan" line is being constructed. This project will ensure stronger connectivity between the Western region and the rest of the energy system, expand the capacity output of power plants in the Atyrau and Aktobe regions, and enable more effective use of the Western region's flexible generation to offset imbalances in other areas. This project is also slated for completion in 2027.

Overall, the ongoing projects aim to create a loop system for the energy system using high-voltage lines and to form the target topology of the National Electric Grid. Reported by Utilities24 citing the Ministry of Energy's website.

Photo: gov.kz