Saryarka Gas Pipeline

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

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Saryarka Gas Pipeline (also referred to as the Saryarqa Gas Pipeline; Russian: Магистральный газопровод "Сарыарка"; Kazakh: "Сарыарқа") is an operating gas pipeline in Kazakhstan with three additional proposed expansion phases.

Location

The operating pipeline starts in Karaozek, Kyzylorda Region, Kazakhstan, and runs by Zhezkazgan, Temirtau, to Astana (renamed to Nur-Sultan), Kazakhstan. When complete, the gas pipeline will run along the route Kyzylorda - Zhezkazgan - Karaganda - Temirtau - Astana - Kokshetau - Petropavlovsk.

Phase I

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Phase II

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Phase III

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Project details

Phase I

• Operator: Intergas Central Asia
• Owner: AstanaGaz KMG JSC
• Parent company: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding
• Capacity: 2.2 bcm/year
• Length: 1,061 km
• Diameter: 820 mm / 32.28 inches
• Status: Operating
• Start year: 2019
• Cost: USD 614.79 million
• Financing: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding, Unified National Pension Fund JSC, Eurasian Development Bank, Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC
• Associated infrastructure: Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent Gas Pipeline

Phase II

• Operator: Intergas Central Asia
• Owner: AstanaGaz KMG JSC
• Parent company: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding
• Capacity: 2.2 bcm/year
• Length: 298.1 km
• Diameter: 630 mm
• Status: Proposed
• Construction: 2022
• Start year: 2025
• Cost: USD 110.86 million
• Financing: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding, Unified National Pension Fund JSC, Eurasian Development Bank, Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC
• Associated infrastructure:

Phase III

• Operator: Intergas Central Asia
• Owner: AstanaGaz KMG JSC
• Parent company: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding
• Capacity: 2.2 bcm/year
• Length: 184.7 km
• Diameter: 820 mm / 32.28 inches
• Status: Proposed
• Construction: 2024
• Start year: 2025
• Cost: USD 43.47 million
• Financing: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding, Unified National Pension Fund JSC, Eurasian Development Bank, Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC
• Associated infrastructure:

Phase IV

• Operator: Intergas Central Asia
• Owner: AstanaGaz KMG JSC
• Parent company: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding
• Capacity: 3 bcm/year (additional 0.8 bcm/year)
• Length: Capacity expansion only
• Status: Proposed
• Construction: 2028
• Start year: 2031
• Cost: USD 81.65 million
• Financing: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding, Unified National Pension Fund JSC, Eurasian Development Bank, Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC
• Associated infrastructure: Zhezkazgan and Temirtau compressor stations

Background

The project is proposed to be implemented in four phases. According to the feasibility study, the total cost of the project is 370 billion tenge (USD $867.63 million). The gas pipeline route will run along the route Kyzylorda - Zhezkazgan - Karaganda - Temirtau - Astana - Kokshetau-Petropavlovsk.

• Phase I will take place along the route Kyzylorda - Zhezkazgan - Karaganda - Temirtau - Astana, with the length of 1,061.3 km. The cost is reportedly 267.3 billion tenge (US$626.80 million). This section of the gas pipeline will provide natural gas to the population of the cities of Astana, Karaganda, Temirtau, Zhezkazgan and nearby settlements along the route of the main gas pipeline. The pipeline is connected to the Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent Gas Pipeline.
• Phase II. At the second stage, the construction of the Astana-Kokshetau gas pipeline worth 48.2 billion tenge (US$113.03 million), with a length of 276 km, is envisaged, which will allow gasification of the Akmola region, including Kokshetau and the Shchuchinsko-Borovsk resort zone. In June 2022, the feasibility study for construction of Phases II and III was developed.
• Phase III. At the third stage, it is planned to build the main gas pipeline Kokshetau-Petropavlovsk worth 18.9 billion tenge (US$44.32 million), with a length of 177 km, which will allow gasification of the northern region of the country.
• Phase IV. At the 4th stage, taking into account the projected increase in gas consumption from this gas pipeline, it is planned to build the Zhezkazgan and Temirtau compressor stations worth 35.5 billion tenge (US$83.25 million) to increase the throughput of the main gas pipeline to 3 bcm/year.

The pipeline will be supplied by gas from the oil and gas fields Karachaganak, Tengiz, and Kashagan.

As of November 2020, the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurlan Nogayev stated that construction of Phase II and III of the pipeline was still being planned.

In June 2023, it was reported that the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan was evaluating the option of connecting the Saryarka Gas Pipeline with a pipeline in Russia, and Gazprom was undertaking a pre-feasibility study, which was expected to be finalized in July 2023.

As of August 2023, there have not been any updates about Phases II, III, and IV of the project. However, the Roadmap for Development of Gas Infrastructure of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2015-2030 issued on November 4, 2014 and revised on December 31, 2023 mentions that construction of Phases II and III will be completed by 2025.

Financing

To implement the project, the company AstanaGaz KMG was created. Its shareholders are Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC (50%) and Baiterek National Management Holding (50%). The financing scheme and conditions were approved by the State Commission for the Modernization of the Economy in August 2018. 80.3 billion tenge (US$188.3 million) was provided through the formation of the authorized capital of the project company AstanaGaz KMG JSC, 85 billion tenge (US$199.3 million) is a bond loan from Unified National Pension Fund JSC and 102 billion tenge (US$239 million) is a bond loan from the Eurasian Development Bank and Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC. The general contractor for the construction is KazStroyService.

Environmental concerns

The pipeline is constructed on the Kazakh Uplands, also known as SaryArka, or "yellow ridge" in Kazakh, a steppe in central Kazakhstan with small hills. On this territory, there are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Korgalzhyn and Naurzum nature reserves. The wetlands of nature reserves may be affected by the construction of the pipeline. This is a resting place for the red-breasted goose and 13 other threatened birds included in the IUCN Red List.