Ekibastuz-2 power station

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Ekibastuz-2 power station (Экибастузская ГРЭС-2) is an operating power station of at least 1000-megawatts (MW) in Ekibastuz, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as GRES-2 power station.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Ekibastuz-2 power station	Ekibastuz, Ekibastuz, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan	52.023972, 75.47625 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: 52.023972, 75.47625

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year	Retired year
Unit 1	operating	coal - bituminous	500	supercritical	1990	–
Unit 2	operating	coal - bituminous	500	supercritical	1993	–
Unit 3	pre-permit	coal - bituminous	636	supercritical	2027	–
Unit 4	pre-permit	coal - bituminous	636	supercritical	2029	–
Unit 5	announced	coal - bituminous	636	supercritical	2029	–
Unit 6	announced	coal - bituminous	636	supercritical	2030	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner
Unit 1	Ekibastuz GRES-2 JSC [100.0%]
Unit 2	Ekibastuz GRES-2 JSC [100.0%]
Unit 3	Ekibastuz GRES-2 JSC [100.0%]
Unit 4	Ekibastuz GRES-2 JSC [100.0%]
Unit 5	Ekibastuz GRES-2 JSC [100.0%]
Unit 6	Ekibastuz GRES-2 JSC [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): Ekibastuz coal basin

Background

The Ekibastuz GRES-2 Power Station is a coal-fuelled power generating station in Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan. The station has installed capacity of 1,000 MW, provided by two units of 500 MW each.

Ekibastuz-2 was part a coal-fired complex that included Ekibastuz-1 power station. The construction project was never finished, with only ten of 16 planned power units completed. Only two 500MW units at the Ekibastuz GRES-2 Power Station were commissioned (in 1990 and 1993). After that, construction was suspended.

The plant produced 6433 million kWh in 2021 and 6002 million kWh in 2022.

Ownership

At the end of 2005 a joint venture between INTER RAO UES JSC and Samruk-Energo JSC was established to operate the GRES-2 Power Station. Its shareholders proposed overhauling existing units and building new ones. In July 2019, Samruk-Kazyna bought Inter RAO's 50% share in the plant. The plant is therefore 50% owned by Samruk-Energy and 50% by Samruk Kazyna. Samruk-Energy is fully owned by Samruk Kazyna.

Expansion & delays

Proposed Unit 3 (500 MW)

Construction of Unit 3 was started in 1990 but later stopped. A 500 MW power unit N3 was then planned to be built in 2008-2009, but also stopped.

In 2010, an agreement to build a third unit at the power plant was reached at a meeting of the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia, and the agreement was ratified in January 2011. The project was to be 500 MW at a projected cost of US$770 million. The new capacity was to come online by 2013, with all the additional output to be supplied to Russia. The project cost would be co-funded with a US$700 million loan from Vneshekonombank of Russia and the Eurasian Bank of Kazakhstan.

In January 2014, Russia and China signed an agreement to lend US$400 million for construction of a third electric power generation block at the power station, which matched the deal they first ratified in January 2011.

In March 2014, it was reported that the Inter RAO UES (Inter RAO) and Government of Kazakhstan were planning to undertake the 500 MW power plant expansion, with a project start date of mid-2015 and completion date of 2018. Building and installation works on the unit began that year. However it appears that works did not progress. In April 2018, it was reported that work on the new unit had stalled but resumed in 2018.

Proposed Unit 3 (636 MW)

With the power plant becoming fully owned by Kazakhstan in 2019, Samruk Energy resumed the project with increased capacity of 636MW. In June 2021, reporting noted that construction would not begin until 2023, with the expected commissioning date pushed back to December 2025.

In September 2021, Samruk Energy published a press release stating that for the period of 2020 and the first half of 2021, within the framework of the implementation of the project, a wide range of preparatory work had been carried out. Work included financial and technical audits, refinancing of loan obligations before conclusion of contracts for the adjustment of design estimates, and registration of permits for construction. Additionally, more than 11 tonnes of equipment have so far been delivered to the construction site. Construction has not begun, but the project is expected to be commissioned in 2025.

As of December 2021, Inter Rao Engineering was expected to render EPC services for the expansion. Harbin Electric was expected to be the turbine supplier (1 unit of CLN-636-24.2/566/566 steam turbine with 636MW nameplate capacity). Harbin Electric was also the expected supplier of QFSN3-2 electric generator and the likely supplier of the steam boiler.

In its 2021 annual report, Samruk-Energy stated that the approval of the project by Gosekspertiza (State Technical Supervision Authority) was expected by the end of 2021. Environmental impact assessment was published in 2021, and it appeared that public consultation took place in June 2021. However in March 2023 it was reported that public consultation will be carried out in March 2023. As of December 2022 there were no news on the approval or progress of the project during 2022.

In March 2023, it was announced that China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) together with Samruk-Kazyna are working on a project to build two units (Unit 3 and the additional Unit 4, see below). A memorandum of cooperation was signed already in September 2022, according to one of the media reports. According to the memorandum, CMEC has to develop a timeline, a plan to supply equipment and project execution plan. The expected commissioning of Unit 3 was still foreseen in 2025. As per these media reports, discussions were ongoing between the parties as of March 2023. As of April 2023, it appeared that construction of Unit 3 has not yet begun.

In May 2023, repeated public hearings of the project took place.

In its 2022 annual report released in spring 2023, Samruk Energy reported that during 2022, 28% of equipment from Kvarts LLP (China) was delivered to the power station, as per mediation agreement concluded in 2021 (it was not clear what the mediation agreement referred to, presumably to previous arrangements). Moreover, negotiations were conducted with Harbin Erantex Technology for shipment and repackaging of equipment to Harbin. An agreement was also signed in 2022 for the construction of hangars, with construction works ongoing at the end of 2022. Investment plan showed that the company spent 10bn tenge on the project in 2022, and plans to spend 6bn tenge in 2023 and 49.5bn tenge in 2024.

In the H1 2023 report, Samruk Energy stated that in May 2023, shipment of 70% of Unit-3 project equipment from China was completed. Another source from October 2023 stated that 53% of the total amount of equipment from China (7,782 tonnes) have been delivered to GRES-2, another 22.6% (1760 tonnes) are on the way. Another 1,874 tonnes (24.1%) of equipment was still located in China. A corresponding investment agreement has been signed on the part of the Ministry of Energy. The project cost of 441bn tenge, with planned commissioning now in December 2026.

In December 2023, it was reported that additional agreements were reached between Samruk Energy and Russian company ORGRES LLC for the construction of power units No. 3 and No. 4, utilizing Russian equipment. In January 2024, Samruk Energy reported that as China cannot be involved in construction of coal-fired generation, an option to implement the project using Russian equipment with preferential financing from Russian financial institutions is being explored. Planned activities in 2024 include obtaining decisions from a financial institution on the loan (March 2024), conclusion of the EPC contract for Units 3 and 4 (March-April 2024), commissioning of Unit 3 - now planned for 2027. The report further stated that the Chinese equipment previously delivered for Unit 3 will now be used for Ekibastuz-3 power station.

ORGRES LLC reported on its website that the company will supply main and auxiliary equipment, perform commissioning and auxiliary services (installation supervision, commissioning supervision), and also partially carry out construction and installation work, for both Units 3 and 4.

As of October 2023, Planet imagery did not reveal construction progress on Unit 3.

In February 2024, the prosecutor's office of the Pavlodar region revealed embezzlement of funds allocated for Unit 3 expansion of about 1 billion tenge (ca US 2.2 million dollars). An investigation was ongoing.

As of April 2024, there was no news on signing of the EPC contract or obtaining financing.

Proposed Unit 4 (636 MW)

The memorandum signed with CMEC disclosed in the media in March 2023 also included the planned construction of Unit 4 with 636-660 MW of capacity. Expected commissioning of Unit 4 was in 2027, as of early 2023.

In July 2023, it was reported that CEEC China Power Engineering Consulting and local partners in Kazakhstan won a bid to take on the owner's engineer role for the expansion project. This was presumably for Unit 4. As of December 2023, a tender was being conducted for the feasibility study of Unit 4.

In December 2023, it was reported that an agreement was reached between Samruk Energy and Russian company ORGRES LLC for the construction of units No. 3 and No. 4, utilizing Russian equipment. In January 2024, Samruk Energy said that the planned signing of the EPC contract for Unit 3 and 4 is in March-April 2024 and planned commissioning of Unit 4 is now in 2029. ORGRES LLC reported on its website that the company will supply main and auxiliary equipment, perform commissioning and auxiliary services (installation supervision, commissioning supervision), and also partially carry out construction and installation work.

As of April 2024, there was no further news on the project.

Proposed Units 5-6

In January and April 2023, additional Units 5 and 6 were announced, to be completed in 2029-2030. There was no further news on these Units, as of January 2024, and the government order on the development of the power sector until 2035 issued in February 2024 did not mention new Units 5 and 6 (only Units 3 and 4). It therefore appeared that plans for these units have been abandoned.

Financing

Unit 3 (2010): A loan agreement for Unit 3 was closed in July 2010. US$700 million in loans was provided by Vneshekonombank and the Eurasian Bank of Kazakhstan. In October 2013, a second loan agreement for Unit 3 was closed. The China Development Bank agreed to provide a US$400 million loan.

In 2020, Samruk-Energy reported that all outstanding loans in foreign currencies were refinanced by a loan in tenge from the National Bank of Kazakhstan for a total of over 100 billion tenge (ca USD 210m). Therefore it appeared that there is no foreign bank financing anymore.

Unit 3 and 4 (2023 Proposed): An industry article from October 2023 referred to the potential funding by Russia and Eurasian Bank of Development for Units 3 and 4. In January 2024, Samruk Energy reported that in October 2023, preliminary indicative conditions for financing Units 3 and 4 in the amount of up to 205 billion rubles have been received. It was planned to obtain a decision on the loan in March 2024.

Pollution ranking

The government decree from April 2022 ranked the Ekibastuz-2 GRES power plant as Number 3 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.

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.