The Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA) and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, recently signed an agreement to establish a framework for industry-academia-research cooperation, aiming to innovate collaboration in technological innovation.
Since 2008, POWERCHINA has signed 26 projects in Kazakhstan with a volume of over US$ 5 billion, including the upgrade of the Almaty Coal-fired Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant 2, which will drive the local energy structure’s transformation.
Their new agreement is to support energy transformation for a cleaner almaty. In alignment with its “carbon neutrality by 2060” strategy, Kazakhstan has been focusing on developing new energy in recent years. The plan of upgrading the inefficient Almaty CHP Plant 2 into a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant was put forward as part of the initiative.
Liu Tongyi, the project manager responsible for the upgrade, said that the new plant will reduce harmful emissions from 50,400 tons to 6,700 tons annually while meeting the city’s power and heating needs. Under the project, Chinese and Kazakh employees Work toward the same goals.
“I joined the company after graduating from university in 2015 and have been working here for almost nine years,” Valeria said in fluent Chinese. She is a Kazakh employee with the local branch of POWERCHINA. In each project in Kazakhstan, the POWERCHINA team will introduce advanced domestic concepts and construction experiences to local employees. The company is also sending Kazakh employees to China in a bid to cultivate them into top-tier technical experts.
Tailoring Strategies to Local Conditions
When the Almaty CHP Plant 2 was completed in 1974, Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union. Therefore, its initial design adhered to Russian standards. Over the years, European standards were incorporated into the operation of the plant. By thoroughly understanding both standards, POWERCHINA made a successful bid.
The project to upgrade the Almaty CHP Plant 2 officially commenced on November 19, 2021. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president of Kazakhstan, attended the ceremony, where he buried a “time capsule” containing a letter to the future. The capsule will be opened upon the project’s completion in 2026 and the letter will be read by the new plant.
