Ekibastuz-1 power station

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Ekibastuz-1 power station (ТОО "Экибастузская ГРЭС-1") is an operating power station of at least 4040-megawatts (MW) in Ekibastuz, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Ekibastuz-1 power station	Ekibastuz, Ekibastuz, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan	51.886137, 75.376928 (exact)

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8: 51.886137, 75.376928

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	CHP	Start year	Emergency/Backup
Unit 1	Operating	coal: bituminous	540	supercritical	yes	1980	False
Unit 2	Operating	coal: bituminous	500	supercritical	yes	1980	False
Unit 3	Operating	coal: bituminous	500	supercritical	yes	1981	False
Unit 4	Operating	coal: bituminous	500	supercritical	yes	1981	False
Unit 5	Operating	coal: bituminous	500	supercritical	yes	1982	False
Unit 6	Operating	coal: bituminous	500	supercritical	yes	1983	False
Unit 7	Operating	coal: bituminous	500	supercritical	yes	1983	False
Unit 8	Operating	coal: bituminous	500	supercritical	yes	1984	False

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Unit 1	Ekibastuz GRES-1 LLP [100%]	Samruk-Energo JSC [100.0%]
Unit 2	Ekibastuz GRES-1 LLP [100%]	Samruk-Energo JSC [100.0%]
Unit 3	Ekibastuz GRES-1 LLP [100%]	Samruk-Energo JSC [100.0%]
Unit 4	Ekibastuz GRES-1 LLP [100%]	Samruk-Energo JSC [100.0%]
Unit 5	Ekibastuz GRES-1 LLP [100%]	Samruk-Energo JSC [100.0%]
Unit 6	Ekibastuz GRES-1 LLP [100%]	Samruk-Energo JSC [100.0%]
Unit 7	Ekibastuz GRES-1 LLP [100%]	Samruk-Energo JSC [100.0%]
Unit 8	Ekibastuz GRES-1 LLP [100%]	Samruk-Energo JSC [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): domestic

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Background

History & ownership

The power plant is the largest in Kazakhstan.

Most of the units at the Ekibastuz-1 power station were launched into service in the early 1980s. In January 1996, due to mismanagement and disrepair, the capacity of the station dropped from 1,624 to 1,025 MW, and further dropped to 655 MW by June 1996. Work at the station became hazardous: the equipment was not maintained, most of the control and emergency handling instrumentation was stolen from the power station. The units had to be frequently stopped because of break downs.

From 1996 until 2008, the power station was owned by United States-based AES Corporation. By November 1997, only three units were operational, producing 800 MW on average. In the spring of 1998, all units except one were idle. The customers owed the power station about US$150 million of unpaid tariffs. In 1999, the average produced power was 215 MW. In 2000, it was increased to 317 MW after much needed repairs. As a result, the power station's generating capacity was increased from 1,050 to 1,200 MW, but the problem of finding paying customers still resulted in low production levels.

On February 4, 2008, AES agreed to sell the AES Ekibastuz power station to Kazakhmys. Under the terms of the management agreement, AES continued to operate the station until December 2010. Kazakhmys secured a US$2.1 billion loan to finance its purchase of the power station. The loan was provided by a consortium of 18 banks.

On December 10, 2009, Kazakhmys PLC announced that it would be selling a 50% stake in the power station to the National Welfare Fund Samruk-Kazyna for US$681 million. The transaction was completed in early 2010. In the first five years following the transaction, Kazakhmys would appoint the management team while Samruk-Kazyna would appoint several key oversight positions. Over the next seven years, the parties pledged to provide investments of around $1 billion at Ekibastuz to upgrade the power station and restore it from its current capacity of 2,500 MW to its original nameplate capacity of 4,000 MW.

In 2014, Kazakhmys sold the other 50% stake in the company to Samruk-Energy for USD 1.25 billion. Later Samruk-Kazyna transferred its 50% stake to Samruk-Energy, completing the process for Samruk-Energy to be 100% shareholder in Ekibastuz-1.

Modernization/Refurbishment

The power station is undergoing modernization projects and claims to be a leader among power generating enterprises. Three units were reported to be inactive since the 1990s. Unit 2 was brought back into operation in 2014 and Unit 8 in 2012, possibly after modernization.

In June 2010, a pair of contracts were announced with Emerson Electric Company to refurbish many of the control systems on units 3 through 8. It was estimated this effort would take 5 years to complete and would increase the efficiency of the affected units at the power station.

Unit 1

As of May 2021, work was underway to install electrostatic precipitators at Unit 1. Unit 1 was partially dismantled and was not operating while it was being modernized. The implementation of the project and commissioning of the reconstructed Unit 1 was expected to increase the plant's capacity by 550 MW (up to 4,050 MW) and to significantly reduce environmental impacts through modern ash and slag removal technologies. The cost of the project was estimated at 123.7 billion tenge and was expected to be complete in 2023. Additionally, as of November 2021, modernization of units 3-8 was planned for 2028-2035 and was expected to increase the plant's capacity by a further 240 MW.

The plant's installed capacity was reported to be 3,500 MW in 2019-2021, as per Samruk's Energy annual reports. Capacity reduced from 4,000 MW to 3,500 MW during 2018, according to earlier company's annual reports, as Unit 1 was being refurbished. As of December 2022, Samruk-Energo's website stated that Unit 1's modernization will be completed by 2024 which will allow to reach the design capacity of 4000MW (not 4,050MW) and to meet increasing demand in Kazakhstan as well as in the neighbouring countries.

In January 2023 a press release by Samruk-Energo stated that the completion of construction and commissioning of the 500MW Unit 1 is scheduled for December 2023. In early December 2023, a media source reported that re-commissioning of Unit 1 has been postponed to 2024. As of April 2024, re-commissioning was expected in December 2024.

In August 2024, it was reported that Unit 1 was put back in operation, but commissioning work was still being completed, and the acceptance certificate for the facility was planned to be signed in October 2024. The unit was re-commissioned in December 2024.

The modernised Unit 1 was formally commissioned on 26 December 2024, with the unit's capacity after modernisation rated at 540 MW, exceeding its original nameplate capacity of 500 MW. With all eight units operational for the first time in 30 years, the station's total installed capacity reached 4,000 MW. In March 2025, it was reported that reconstruction of the fuel supply system and construction of a new chimney were planned for 2026-2028.

Unit 3

Refurbishment of Unit 3, planned to begin in Q1 2025 and be completed by Q2 2027, envisaged modernisation of the turbine while keeping the boiler steam output unchanged at 1,650 tonnes per hour. Upon completion, the unit's capacity was expected to increase to 550-600 MW. The project cost was not disclosed.

Chimney reconstruction

In April 2025, four generating units of the first phase were taken offline for inspection and repair of the existing chimney stack, during which the inner reinforced concrete flue was dismantled. In October-November 2025, construction contracts and supervision agreements were signed with a consortium of contractors for the construction of a new chimney stack at a cost of 29.1 billion tenge (around $56 million). The new stack was to be built adjacent to the existing one to minimise generation losses and synchronise unit outages with planned maintenance. Its projected service life was set at 50 years. Demolition of the old chimney was planned for October 2027 through July 2028.

Generation

The plant is the largest producer of electricity in Kazakhstan. It generated 19,466 million kWh of electricity in 2020, 22,788 million kWh in 2021. In 2022 electricity generation reached the highest historical level of 23,019 million kWh. In the first 6 months of 2023, generation reached 11.2 billion kWh which was 3% higher than in the same period of 2022.

In 2025, the plant recorded its highest-ever annual electricity output of 24.5 billion kWh, accounting for approximately 20% of Kazakhstan's total electricity generation. The record was attributed to the successful recommissioning of Unit 1.

2024 Incidents

Technical incidents occurred on Units 2,3,4 and 7 in June 2024. Units were stopped and generation was lowered from 2080 MW to 320MW. It appeared that all four units were reconnected shortly after. Another incident on Unit 3 was reported in November 2024 with a release of flue gases from the inspection hatches of smoke stack No. 1. Unit 3 was stopped. Video footage showed heavy dust and red smoke from the side openings of the chimney.

Pollution Rating and Mitigation Measures

The government decree from April 2022 ranked the Ekibastuz GRES-1 as Number 1 in the list of the main polluters in Kazakhstan as of 2021. The government decree comes into force from 2025. It is not clear what the purpose of the ranking is.

In June 2022 it was reported that the power plant was fined 33 billion tenge (ca USD 69 million) for non-compliance with carbon emissions quota established for 2018-2020, the plant exceeded allowed emissions by 2 million tons of CO2.

In December 2025, it was reported that Ekibastuz-1 accounted for approximately 34% of total emissions in Pavlodar Region. Capital repairs of electrostatic precipitators were carried out at several generating units, reducing dust concentration levels from 400 mg/Nm³ to 350 mg/Nm³. Between 2023 and 2025, around 23,000 saplings were planted within the plant’s sanitary protection zone, and approximately 250 hectares of ash disposal areas were rehabilitated. Over the same period, total investments in environmental protection measures amounted to about KZT 5 billion (ca. 9.6 million USD).

A March 2026 report by Kazinform cited Ekibastuz-1 and Ekibastuz-2 power stations as the primary sources of air pollution in Pavlodar Region, which recorded the highest total emissions among all regions of Kazakhstan. The energy sector as a whole accounted for approximately 39% of total pollutant emissions in the country, according to the Minister of Ecology.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.