Almaty / Astana, 4 November, . Almaty’s combined heat and power plant No. 2 will be fully launched on gas on 25 December 2026, and CHP-3 is to be ready by the end of 2027, energy minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said at a press conference in the Government.
According to the minister, things at CHP-3 are “not going in the best way”. Asked about Kairat Maksutov, the dismissed chairman of Samruk-Energy, Akkenzhenov said he had been warned more than once about missed deadlines and unfinished work; responsibility, he said, also lies with the energy ministry, but Samruk-Energy should have ensured independent control of construction. Keeping to the deadlines is now the task of the company’s new head, Ansar Aidarov.
At CHP-2, the minister said, coal will remain only as a reserve fuel, and the coal-fired part of CHP-3 will be completely demolished.
What it means: A city that has waited years for clean air has two concrete dates: gas-fired CHP-2 before the New Year and CHP-3 a year later, with a new manager now answering for the second date.
Who benefits: Almaty residents, for whom switching the plants to gas means less coal smoke, and the city’s power system; the cost of the work was not named at the press conference.
Background: Kairat Maksutov was dismissed as chairman of Samruk-Energy on 28 October; the Government explained the move by insufficient control over construction deadlines.
