The shortage of electricity is increasing in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan said. At the same time, it became known for what reason there may not be enough electricity in the largest country in Central Asia.
The shortage of electricity was observed in Kazakhstan for the last 8 months - in January and from May to December, Deputy Prime Minister of tKazakhstan Roman Sklyar said, Ranking.kz reports. He noted that the deficit reaches 1,200 megawatts per day.
Over the period 2023-2029, energy consumption in the country will increase by an average of 3% annually, while electricity production will grow at a slower pace, according to the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan.
According to the level of production and consumption of electricity, in 2023-2025 and in 2028, a negative balance is expected, the deficit is likely to reach 1.3-1.6 billion kilowatt-hours. The shortage will peak in 2029, expected to be 5.5 billion kilowatt-hours.
In the next seven years, electricity consumption in Kazakhstan will grow by 20.5% - from 121.1 billion to 146 billion kilowatt-hours, and production will increase by 17.6%, the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan emphasized.
The deficit will be most clearly seen in the south of Kazakhstan, where the provision of the region will be subsidized. The biggest difference between consumption and production of the resource will be in the southern regions and two megacities of the country - for all seven years it will be in the range of 11.8-12.7 billion kilowatt-hours.
At the same time, the west and north of the republic will show a surplus during this period. In the west, it is expected to be small - 1-3 billion kilowatt-hours on average, and in the north and east of the country - 8-10 billion kilowatt-hours. All excess electricity will be directed to the south.
It is known that at the beginning of 2022 there was also a massive failure in the energy system of Central Asia, which led to a power outage in a number of regions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, followed by interruptions in heating and water supply. At the end of 2022, several major accidents occurred at the CHPPs in Ekibastuz and Ridder. The authorities of Kazakhstan are considering the issue of transferring problematic energy facilities to the state.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Kazakhstan organize the construction of a nuclear power plant, as well as help in the development of the nuclear industry as a whole, including training personnel in Russian universities. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also stated that Kazakhstan would "lose the entire economy" without building a nuclear power plant and would lose its regional leadership. It is estimated that the construction of the nuclear power plant will take about 10 years.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 20, 2023