KMG, Eni to build hybrid power plant for oil and gas enterprises in western Kazakhstan

ASTANA. July 17 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG) and Italy's Eni have begun construction of a 247 MW hybrid power plant, which will operate on solar, wind and gas energy, in the city of Zhanaozen in western Kazakhstan, the KMG press service reported.

"The hybrid power plant will ensure a stable and reliable supply of electricity to KMG subsidiaries in the region, including Ozenmunaigas and Kazakh Gas Processing Plan. This will eliminate the risks of emergency shutdowns in production due to frequent power outages ", the message says.

The hybrid project involves combined generation of electricity from renewable energy sources wind and solar, developed by Eni subsidiary Plenitude, as well as a gas power plant.

The capacity of the solar power plant will be 50 MW, wind power plant 77 MW and gas power plant 120 MW.

The investments will be provided by KMG and Eni on a parity basis; their amount is not specified.

"The project also contributes to the implementation of KMG's decarbonization strategy and reduction of the carbon footprint in accordance with the company's adopted strategic goals. About 40% of all electricity produced at the hybrid project will be completely green, which contributes to a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions," the press release states.

The head of KMG, Askhat Kasenov, said this kind of hybrid project will be implemented in Kazakhstan for the first time.

The agreement on the power plant project in Zhanaozen was signed by KMG and Eni in June 2023.