Kazakhstan's heating season is proceeding without major disruptions. All consumers are receiving electricity and heat, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov reported at a Government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov on November 10, 2026, according to the official Government report.
The country has completed its planned repairs of power transmission lines, substations and heating networks. Work at power plants is still underway, while electricity demand is expected to reach a new seasonal peak of 18,200 MW, DKNews.kz reports.
The Government has also increased infrastructure repair funding by an average of 27%, with a total of 975 billion теңге allocated across power plants, electricity grids and heating networks.
Power plant repairs approach completion
Preparations for the 2026–2027 autumn-winter period include extensive maintenance of Kazakhstan's electricity generation facilities.
According to the Ministry of Energy, the repair programme covers:
- 9 power units, of which 8 have been repaired.
- 55 boilers, of which 49 have been repaired.
- 51 turbines, of which 37 have been repaired.
This means repairs remain outstanding on one power unit, six boilers and 14 turbines.
The Ministry said the necessary equipment is available to maintain energy production. The remaining work is being carried out on reserve capacities and is not affecting the heating season.
More than 17,000 km of power lines repaired
Maintenance work on regional electricity and heating networks has reached 100% of the approved plan.
Regional electricity distribution companies have completed repairs on 17,100 km of power transmission lines and 444 substations.
Another 377 km of heating networks have been repaired across the country.
These works are intended to reduce the risk of equipment failures during periods of increased electricity and heat consumption.
Repair funding reaches 975 billion теңге
Minister Akkenzhenov reported a substantial increase in funding for the repair and maintenance of energy infrastructure.
«The financing of repair work has been increased on average by 27%. In particular, for the repair of power plants – up to 384 billion tenge, electric grids – up to 393 billion tenge, and heating networks – up to 198 billion tenge. Thanks to this, deterioration in power plants has been reduced to 52%, and in electric and heating networks to 65.7% and 48%, respectively. The number of technological disruptions compared to last year has decreased by an average of 6%, with the largest decrease recorded at power plants – by 8%,» Yerlan Akkenzhenov reported.
The reported allocations amount to 975 billion теңге:
- 384 billion теңге for power plant repairs.
- 393 billion теңге for electricity networks.
- 198 billion теңге for heating networks.
According to the Ministry, equipment wear has declined to 52% at power plants, 65.7% across electricity networks and 48% across heating networks.
Technological disruptions have fallen by an average of 6% compared with the previous year, including an 8% reduction at power plants.
Despite these improvements, the remaining levels of infrastructure deterioration show why continued modernization remains necessary.
Electricity generation rises to 102 billion kWh
Kazakhstan generated 102 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity during January–October 2026.
That represents an increase of 2.3% compared with the corresponding ten months of 2025.
The Ministry expects the peak electricity load during the current heating season to reach 18,200 MW, approximately 3% higher than the previous winter's peak.
The forecast reflects the additional pressure that electricity generation facilities and transmission networks may face as temperatures fall.
The Government's immediate priority is to maintain sufficient operating capacity and equipment reserves to meet demand during the coldest periods.
Coal and fuel oil reserves prepared for winter
Energy facilities have accumulated regulatory fuel reserves to support electricity and heat generation.
Current stocks include:
- 5.8 million tons of coal.
- 137,000 tons of fuel oil.
These reserves are held at energy facilities and are separate from coal supplies being prepared for households and municipal consumers.
The Ministry is monitoring the maintenance of required fuel reserves throughout the heating season.
Households and utilities need 7.3 million tons of coal
Kazakhstan's total coal requirement for households and municipal services during the current season is estimated at 7.3 million tons.
Of that amount, 5.7 million tons are intended for households and 1.6 million tons for the municipal and household services sector.
As of the reporting date, 4.52 million tons had been procured, equivalent to 62% of the required volume.
This leaves approximately 2.78 million tons to be procured to meet the stated seasonal requirement.
A national coordination headquarters operates under the Ministry of Energy, bringing together coal producers, supply operators, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and regional administrations.
Its work focuses on coordinating fuel supplies and monitoring the availability of coal for consumers during winter.
Heating networks modernized in four cities
During the summer, Kazakhstan carried out regional infrastructure projects under the national programme for modernizing the energy and utilities sectors.
Several cities completed major heating network upgrades:
- Stepnogorsk: 9.5 km of heating networks were reconstructed. Their previous deterioration level was approximately 85%.
- Taldykorgan: the first stage of modernization covered 3.5 km of a 700 mm trunk pipeline that had operated for 46 years and was 87% worn.
- Petropavl: two sections of heating mains totaling 4.3 km were modernized.
- Karaganda: a 1,020 mm heating main with an 81% deterioration level was modernized.
The Ministry said domestically produced energy-efficient pre-insulated pipes were used in all these projects.
«In all projects, domestic energy-efficient pre-insulated pipes were used, which made it possible to increase the reliability of heat supply and create a capacity reserve for connecting objects under construction,» the minister reported.
Besides improving the reliability of existing heating systems, the projects have created additional capacity for connecting new buildings.
Astana and regional power grids receive upgrades
Modernization work has also covered electricity distribution infrastructure in several regions.
In Astana, 14.4 km of distribution networks serving more than 30,000 subscribers were reconstructed.
In Karaganda Region, the Zhosaly substation received new 10 kV outdoor switchgear, replacing equipment that had reached a deterioration level of 92%.
In West Kazakhstan Region, several overhead power lines were upgraded using modern wear-resistant, high-temperature conductors.
These projects address aging infrastructure at the local level, where equipment condition directly affects the reliability of electricity supply to homes and businesses.
What Kazakhstan is doing to prevent winter outages
The Ministry of Energy will continue monitoring the remaining repair work at power plants and the availability of equipment needed for emergency response.
Special attention will be paid to maintaining minimum regulatory fuel reserves, ensuring the availability of spare materials and equipment, and keeping duty crews fully staffed.
Although the heating season is currently proceeding routinely, the expected increase in peak electricity demand will test the reliability of the country's energy infrastructure.
The Ministry's figures indicate progress in reducing equipment wear and technological disruptions, but completing outstanding repairs remains important for the rest of the winter.
For households and businesses, the key issue is whether the improvements in generation, transmission and heating networks can sustain reliable supplies as colder weather increases demand.
