Central Asia’s largest wind farm was connected to the grid

The WPP totalling 100 MW and located near the city of Zhanatas, Kazakhstan, was connected to the grid on June 20th. The project was realised by a Chinese firm, Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, one of the subsidiaries of the Chinese state-owned enterprise Power Construction Corporation of China. The wind farm consists of 40 turbines that can generate 350 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which can meet the daily electricity demand of 1 million households. The wind farm is expected to save about 110 000 tons of coal every year, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The wind farm was included in the list of China-Kazakhstan cooperation projects in 2018, the construction began in July 2019 and despite the impact of COVID-19 had not been slowed down. China Power International Holding and Visor Kazakhstan are acting as the shareholders of the project. The wind farm is co-funded by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (Almaty) and the Green Climate Fund.

Kazakhstan is moving forward with the implementation of renewable energy projects. Last month, the country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered taking measures to bring the share of renewable energy in the total energy mix to 15% by 2030. Currently, Kazakhstan hits the 3% goal.

Sources:

https://www.evwind.es/2021/06/13/central-asias-largest-wind-farm-built-by-chinese-firm-to-power-1-mln-kazakh-homes/81238

https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Chinas-Massive-Wind-Farm-In-Kazakhstan-Is-Set-To-Come-Online.html

https://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/Chinese-wind-in-Kazakhstan-turbines.html