The most important goals and state strategy in the economic sphere were formulated by the head of state in his September 2023 address. The President set a goal to phase in clear regulatory requirements for energy efficiency and resource conservation throughout the country. He formulated a requirement to reduce key energy consumption and energy intensity indicators by 2029. This task applies perhaps even more to the energy industry's production facilities than to private and commercial consumers.
Therefore, the Concept for the Development of Energy Conservation and Improvement of the Country's Energy Efficiency for 2023–2029 places its initial emphasis on the industrial and energy sectors. The main target indicator for the energy sector is a 5% reduction in the industry's energy intensity by 2029 from the 2021 level.
“To achieve these goals, Almaty Power Plants have undertaken key commitments and developed a comprehensive action plan,” says Bauyrzhan Kaliev, Deputy Chairman of the Board and Chief Engineer of AlES JSC. "Among the company's main commitments and key areas of focus is the conversion of its combined heat and power plants to natural gas. City residents are closely watching the large-scale modernization underway at CHPP-2 and CHPP-3, which involves building new natural gas-fired facilities at these sites. Compared to coal-fired plants, gas-fired plants have significantly lower levels of harmful emissions for the same amount of electricity and heat generation.”
Another area the company is pursuing is the reduction of specific fuel consumption. According to AlES specialists, the reduction in reference fuel consumption per 1 kWh of electricity and 1 Gcal of heat energy will be achieved by optimizing equipment operating modes.
Another effective measure is reducing the power plants' own energy consumption. To this end, energy-efficient auxiliary equipment is being introduced. The next line of work is equipment modernization, which includes major overhauls of boiler and turbine equipment to reduce losses and wear.
Roadmap and Planning
Plans are not just remaining on paper. A comprehensive approach to this task includes conducting regular, mandatory energy audits of our power stations (as entities in the State Energy Register) to identify potential savings, as well as applying the certified ISO 50001 energy management system.
Overall, AlES is implementing an Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency Action Plan, which was developed based on the results of an energy audit. Efforts related to efficiency improvement proposals have resumed. Specifically, starting in 2024, the process for handling innovators' ideas has been standardized and unified across all companies in the Samruk-Energy JSC group, and Group Rules have been developed with clear criteria and approaches for evaluating effectiveness.
The new framework for working with innovators is designed to bolster this activity. In 2024, 12 proposals from AlES innovators were approved. In 2025, company employees submitted 19 efficiency improvement proposals, of which 15 were approved at a meeting of the Expert and Technical Commission, and 8 have already been implemented. The savings from the implemented proposals amount to 3 million tenge. There are also 11 approved proposals for 2026.
However, in the energy sector, the economic and physical impact of energy savings is measured not by a single total amount in tenge, but by a set of physical indicators and the value of the fuel equivalent saved. For 2026, 19 energy-saving and energy-efficiency measures of a repair, service, and operational nature are planned. To date, the majority of repair and service activities have been completed. In the first 6 months of 2026, the savings from implementing these measures amounted to 10.2 million tenge and 179.2 tons of fuel equivalent.
It is important to note that many processes aimed at improving overall production efficiency are carried out in accordance with Kaizen principles, which also ensures a systematic approach to solving many issues. Trained specialists discuss with production shops and departments matters of effective organization of facilities, workspaces, and processes, as well as improvement suggestions, and conduct training sessions.
“In total, in 2025, we implemented 24 repair, service, organizational, technical, and operational measures aimed at energy conservation and improving energy efficiency. The savings from the implementation of these measures amounted to 252 million tenge,” reports Kainarbek Kerimkulov, Head of the Technical Department of AlES JSC.
Energy Management, Digitalization, and Optimization
New technologies are significantly improving the republic's oldest energy complex in Almaty, which traces its history back to 1935 with the first Central Power Station. Technological and organizational energy-saving solutions are being introduced and actively applied here.
In particular, the ISO 50001 International Energy Management System enables the monitoring, analysis, and optimization of energy consumption across all departments: three combined heat and power plants, the Kapshagai Hydroelectric Power Plant, the Cascade of Hydroelectric Power Plants, and the Western Heat Complex. Optimizing the plants' own energy consumption plays a crucial role in achieving energy efficiency targets.
"For example, installing variable-frequency drives (VFDs) on the electric motors of network, feed, and circulation pumps, as well as on smoke exhausters and fans, allows us to regulate their power according to the actual load. This reduces the plant's own electricity consumption by 15–30%," says Aybek Shayakhmetov, Chief Engineer of the Western Heat Complex at AlES JSC, describing this area of work. “We are also modernizing our lighting systems, transitioning the indoor areas, workshops, and administrative buildings to LED lighting with motion sensors and automatic controls."
New technological solutions are being implemented in the production of heat and electricity. The most important of these are combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) units and converting power plants to run on natural gas. The company's main technological step is the large-scale transition from coal-fired generation to natural gas-fired generation (the construction of new gas-fired units at CHPP-2 and CHPP-3) using modern CCGTs. These units have a high electrical efficiency (up to 55-60%), which increases the overall fuel efficiency. We are also transitioning to the use of modern, energy-efficient thermal insulation materials (mineral wool mats, protective coatings) on steam pipelines, hot water pipelines, and boiler unit components to minimize heat loss to the environment.
Currently, the turbine flow path seals at AlES production facilities are undergoing reconstruction and modernization. This work is aimed at reducing internal steam leakage and increasing the efficiency of the turbine units.
A specific feature of power plants is the ability to utilize secondary heat resources. This refers, in particular, to the recovery of heat from exhaust gases. For this purpose, the company uses economizers and air preheaters, which utilize the temperature of flue gases to preheat the feedwater and the air supplied to the boiler furnace. The company also practices the reuse of condensate.
“Returning purified condensate to the technological cycle reduces the consumption of deaerated water and the energy costs for heating it," the specialist adds.
Energy Audit of Equipment
There are several categories of tools for achieving energy efficiency in production. One of the first is energy audits and equipment labeling. Kainarbek Kerimkulov explains in detail how they contribute to achieving these objectives:
“According to the legislation of Kazakhstan, AlES is the largest entity in the State Energy Register (SER), as its annual consumption and transportation of fuel and energy resources significantly exceed the regulatory threshold of 1,500 tons of fuel equivalent. Article 16 of the Law 'On Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency' directly obligates such enterprises to undergo a mandatory energy audit at least once every five years."
Unlike in a standard office building or a small factory, an energy audit at a CHP or hydroelectric power plant is a complex engineering process that lasts up to 12 months and is divided into key phases. The first is a two-season measurement stage. According to the rules for conducting energy audits at industrial enterprises, analysis is mandatory in both winter and summer. In winter, during the peak heating season, auditors measure the operating modes of boiler units, turbines, and main pumps, assess heat losses in the main pipelines, and evaluate fuel consumption per 1 Gcal/kWh of generated energy.
During the summer—the off-season for heating—the equipment's performance in its basic operating modes is evaluated. Scheduled maintenance is also carried out, along with the operation of hydroelectric power plants during flood/water discharge periods. For us, this includes the Kapshagay HPP Cascade. An energy balance and analysis are compiled based on these results. Auditors consolidate all the data into a single matrix, which includes the consumption of coal, gas, and fuel oil, as well as the power stations' own auxiliary power needs. Specific fuel consumption rates for supplied electricity and thermal energy are also determined.
The culmination of the auditors' work is not just a report, but a Plan for Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Improvement for the next five years. This plan outlines specific technical solutions, such as modernizing or replacing burners and boiler units, implementing variable frequency drives on high-capacity pumps and exhaust fans, and optimizing the thermal insulation of steam pipelines and boilers.
What are the benefits of AMRMS and AMRHS?
The work on automating and modernizing control systems at AlES JSC is systematic and regarded by specialists as highly successful and critically necessary, especially in the context of the current large-scale conversion of key Almaty CHPPs from coal to natural gas.
The primary focus of AlES automation is equipping boiler, turbine, and general plant units with new automated process control systems (APCS). In addition, the construction projects for combined-cycle gas turbine units at CHPP-2 and CHPP-3 include the implementation of full-featured, upper- and lower-level microprocessor-based APCS.
“This allows for real-time management of gas turbine and steam units with minimal human involvement," explains Orynbasar Kuldanbayev, Head of the AMRMS Department. “The company also successfully operates digital systems for commercial and technical metering. First, there is the Automated Meter Reading and Management System (AMRMS) for electricity, which allows for recording power flows and generation in real time, minimizing balance discrepancies and non-productive losses. Second, there is the Automated Metering System for Thermal Energy (AMSTE). It provides precise control over the technological process and commercial metering of thermal energy from the TPP and Western Heat Complex collectors, optimizing the hydraulic mode of the city's heating networks.”
Construction and engineering solutions
Another major area is construction. The company consistently applies construction and engineering solutions, as this is a key part of the operation, repair, and large-scale reconstruction of its facilities: all three CHPPs, the Kapshagai HPP, the HPP Cascade, and the WPC. New engineering and construction technologies are being actively implemented now as part of a major decarbonization effort and the conversion of the plants to natural gas.
"Here we can identify three major areas of fundamental construction and structural solutions. The first is seismic-resistant construction. It's well known that Almaty is in a high seismic activity zone—up to 9 points. Therefore, all new facilities—gas turbine unit frames, gas distribution stations, and new trestles—are designed and built with reinforced, earthquake-resistant concrete and steel structures,” notes Arman Isayev, Head of the Capital Construction Department at the A. Zhakutov CHPP-2. “The second area is the construction of enclosed and noise-insulating structures. For instance, when designing new gas units, special noise-dampening panels and vibration-isolated foundations are used for the turbines and generators to minimize the acoustic and vibrational impact on the environment. And the third area is anti-corrosion and waterproofing protection. We use modern polymer and composite materials to protect the reinforced concrete bowls of cooling towers, smokestacks, industrial water channels, and the hydraulic structures of our hydroelectric power plants from erosion, leaching, and chemical corrosion."
In addition, the company announced that to meet the growing demand for thermal energy, a new hot water boiler house with a capacity of 200 Gcal/hour is planned for construction in the coming years on the territory adjacent to the WTC. The Almaty Akimat has already signed a design contract.
Furthermore, in accordance with the minutes of the technical council meeting of AlES JSC, there are plans to organize power generation facilities at the WTC based on gas piston units (GPUs) to cover its own electricity needs and supply the surplus to the city's power grid. The total capacity of the GPUs is planned to be gradually increased to 40 MW.
