BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 10. Kazakhstan has
accumulated 4.5 million tons of coal for the 2026-2027 heating
season, covering 79% of the 5.7 million tons required by the
population.
The percentage figure was calculated by Trend based on
official data announced by Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov at
a government meeting today, cited by the press service of the
Kazakh government.
According to him, the total coal requirement for the current
heating season stands at 7.3 million tons, including 5.7 million
tons for households and 1.6 million tons for the utilities sector.
Regional authorities have so far procured 4.5 million tons,
representing 62% of the combined requirement.
Meanwhile, energy companies have accumulated 5.8 million tons of
coal and 137,000 tons of fuel oil in their stockpiles. Akkenzhenov
noted that all power plants have the required standard coal
reserves.
The Ministry of Energy has also approved a schedule for
supplying 25,000 tons of subsidized fuel oil. Shipments under this
schedule have been underway since September 2026.
A Republican Headquarters involving all relevant stakeholders is
operating under the Ministry of Energy to coordinate coal supplies
to the population, the minister said.
Notably, Kazakhstan remains one of the world’s major
coal-producing countries, with the fuel playing a central role in
its energy security. Coal production reached approximately 115
million tons in 2025, of which around 85 million tons were directed
to domestic consumption and 30 million tons exported. The country
has estimated coal reserves of 33.6 billion tons, concentrated
mainly in the central and northeastern regions, including the
Karaganda and Ekibastuz basins. Coal-fired power plants generated
74.9% of Kazakhstan’s electricity in 2024, while coal is also
widely used for heating in residential buildings and by industrial
consumers.
Coal supplies are particularly important for households in
northern, central and eastern Kazakhstan, where long, cold winters
and limited access to gas infrastructure mean many homes rely on
solid fuel for heating. According to the International Energy
Agency, coal use is especially widespread in rural areas of these
regions. At the same time, the expansion of natural gas networks
has begun to reduce household demand for coal: the planned
requirement for the 2026-2027 heating season is 7.3 million tons,
154,000 tons below the previous season. Railways remain essential
to distributing fuel across the country’s vast territory,
connecting mining regions with power plants, municipal heating
facilities and household consumers.
