Kazakhstan has started building a 700 MW supercritical coal-fired power plant worth KZT759bn (USD1.6bn) in Kurchatov, in the eastern Abai region of Kazakhstan. The project is expected to be commissioned in 2032 and to generate 5 TWh/year of electricity.
The Kurchatov project was approved by the government in March 2026, as part of a larger KZT7.5tn (USD15.5bn) plan to boost its coal-fired power capacity through 2030. The plan includes the commissioning and renewal of coal-fired units to add 7.8 GW of capacity, including a 2,640 MW energy cluster in Ekibastuz, a 500 MW power plant in Zhezkazgan, the 700 MW Kurchatov project, and new combined heat and power plants in Kokshetau (240 MW), Semey (360 MW), and Ust-Kamenogorsk (360 MW). Older thermal coal-fired power plants will be modernised to reduce energy shortages, such as the 1 GW Ekibastuz-2, the 2.5 GW Aksu power plant, and the Karaganda-1 power plant.
According to government estimates, electricity demand in Kazakhstan will grow at an accelerated pace, partly due to the expansion of the IT sector, data centres, and AI.
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