BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 29. Kazakhstan’s
domestic coal demand remains high and is increasingly driven by the
power generation sector, according to the National Energy Report
prepared by the Kazenergy Association in cooperation with S&P
Global.
Visible coal consumption in Kazakhstan reached 86.1 million
tonnes in 2025, the report says.
The share of power plants in total coal consumption increased
from 68% in 2015 to 78% in 2025. Over the same period, the share of
industry, where coal is used mainly in metallurgy and coke
production, declined from 25% to 11%.
At the same time, coal-fired power generation has been
designated a state priority to help meet the expected significant
increase in electricity demand from energy-intensive consumers,
including data centers and industry, over the medium term.
Kazakhstan’s national project for the development of coal-fired
power generation provides for the addition of 7.8 gigawatts (GW) of
capacity by 2030. This includes 5.3 GW from the construction of new
coal-fired power plants and 2.5 GW from the modernization and
expansion of 11 existing facilities.
According to estimates cited in the report, this capacity
expansion could increase annual coal consumption by up to 20
million tonnes by 2032.
The report says new and modernized coal-fired power plants are
expected to use more efficient coal combustion methods and improved
technologies to reduce harmful emissions. Carbon capture and
storage (CCS) systems are also mentioned as a potential measure to
mitigate environmental impacts, although the report notes that
there is no publicly available evidence confirming plans to
implement such systems.
