Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Almasadam Satkaliyev spoke about the prospects of Kazakhstan purchasing electricity from Turkmenistan.
"We will consider our needs and our repair schedule. We are generally ready to consider proposals from our Turkmen colleagues, both regarding gas and electricity, depending on the commercial attractiveness for our consumers," Satkaliyev noted at a briefing in the government, Sputnik reports.
The countries of Central Asia regularly consult on issues of mutual exchange and supply of energy resources, the minister continued. He added that Turkmenistan already exports electricity to Kyrgyzstan.
"It depends on agreements. Indeed, if the offer is interesting, with the aim of protecting the interests of Kazakhstani consumers, we are ready to accept this proposal," emphasized the head of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy.
The Ministry will instruct KazMunayGas National Company and KEGOC (Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company) to work on this issue, the minister said.
In early March, Turkmenistan expressed its intention to supply natural gas and electricity to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. The country plans to increase gas production from the largest Galkynysh field. The national leader of the Turkmen people, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, stated that Turkmenistan intends to deepen cooperation within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States, making it consistent and long-term, with special attention to the energy sector.
According to the chairman of the KEGOC board, Nabi Aytzhanov, Kazakhstan predicts a shortage of electricity from October 2024 to March 2025. The deficit could amount to about 1.025 gigawatts, which could be covered by imports from Russia or by limiting consumers in Kazakhstan itself.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 26, 2024