Plans have been announced to build two 50 megawatts (MW) solar power plants in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region by Italian investor Eni and Hungarian investor Globalia Kft, according to Kazakh Invest national company.
The project by Italian investor company Eni is expected to install a solar power plant worth more than 12.5 billion tenge (US$29.7 million) in Turkestan’s Otrar district which will be operational by the end of 2021.
Italian Ambassador in Kazakhstan Pasquale D’Avino, Deputy Akim (Governor) of the Turkestan Region Meirzhan Myrzaliev, Managing Director of Arm Wind Alex Stilovato and Kazakh Invest Regional Director for Turkestan Region Ersultan Zhanabaev participated in the ceremony.
The creation of 200 jobs is expected as part of the project.
The project will install 113,500 solar panels which will produce 90 million kilowatts (kWh) of electricity per year. It will cover 2 percent of the electricity deficit in the Turkestan region.
“We fully support the policy of Kazakhstan to transition to renewable energy sources. In the Turkestan region, we are starting a new project – the construction of a solar power plant. The presence of a large number of sunny days in the Otrar region will allow us to produce a sufficient amount of electricity here. On behalf of our company, I would like to express my gratitude to the local authorities and Kazakh Invest for all-round assistance,” said Alex Stilovato, Managing Director of Arm Wind (Eni).
This is not the first project by Eni in the renewable energy sector. The company recently completed a 48 megawatts (MW) wind farm in the Aktobe region.
The second power plant by the Hungarian Globalia Kft company is expected to install more than 160 thousand monocrystalline solar modules.
According to Ersultan Zhanabaev, regional director of Kazakh Invest national company in Turkestan region, the shortage of electricity in the Turkestan region is being complemented by the northern regions of the country. Sunny weather dominates Turkestan for 3000 hours a year on average and the region is the most favorable for the implementation of such projects.
The company will begin the project in the start of 2022 and envisages the creation of 150 jobs.
Gabor Sagi, Chairman of the Board of Globalia Kft, said the company is sure that Kazakhstan is a favorable country for investment.
“When we invest in projects, we are confident that our investments are protected and that they will pay off. We especially appreciate the comprehensive support of Kazakh Invest. It is very pleasant that there is such a company in Kazakhstan that is available and open for investors 24 hours a day,” he added.
Kazakh Invest supported 15 projects in the renewable energy sector for a total of US$930 millions. The projects include the creation of solar, hydro and wind power plants with a capacity of 675 megawatts (MW).
