QAZAQ GREEN. One of the most ambitious investment projects in green energy generation has been launched in southern Kazakhstan. On June 29, construction officially began on a 1 Gigawatt (GW) wind power plant in Zhambyl region. The project, valued at approximately $1.4 billion, is designed to address the energy deficit in the country’s southern regions, according to the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The ceremonial capsule-laying took place in a video conference format. The signal to commence work at the construction site was given from Astana by Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sungat Yesimkhanov, Chairman of the Board of Samruk-Kazyna JSC Nurlan Zhakupov, and CEO of UAE-based investment company Masdar, Mohamed Jameel Al-Ramahi.
The representative of the Ministry of Energy outlined the key macroeconomic objective of the project.
“The partnership with Masdar contributes to the development of renewable energy and Kazakhstan’s progress towards carbon neutrality. This project will help strengthen the energy security of the region and attract advanced technologies to the renewable energy sector. We value our partners’ commitment to investing in the country’s sustainable development and will provide all necessary support for the successful implementation of every stage of the project,” said Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sungat Yesimkhanov.
The technical distinction of the project lies in the synchronization of wind generation with a large-scale industrial battery system. The plant will be equipped from the outset with a state-of-the-art energy storage system (ESS) with a capacity of 300 MW and a storage capacity of 600 MWh. The inclusion of such storage resolves the primary challenge of renewable energy — the system will deliver power to the grid in a safe and predictable manner even under changing weather conditions or during evening peak demand periods.
The investors and shareholders of the consortium include UAE clean energy market leader Masdar (40% stake), W Solar (40%), as well as Kazakhstani operators represented by Qazaq Green Power from the Samruk-Kazyna fund (18%) and the Kazakhstan Infrastructure Development Fund KIDF (2%).
In terms of environmental impact, the power plant will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2.5 million tonnes annually, bringing Kazakhstan closer to its approved national environmental targets.
Site preparation has commenced as planned. Full commercial commissioning of the giant wind complex is scheduled for the third quarter of 2029.
