Kazakhstan to establish Drilling and Production Research Institute

Kazakhstan is establishing a research institute on Driling and Production Research. This wil help with educate and further R&D for KazMunaiGas. Originally posted to TengriNews on 27.02.2014:

https://en.tengrinews.kz/science/Kazakhstan-to-establish-Drilling-and-Production-Research-Institute-26316/

A research institute of oil drilling and production will soon be created in Kazakhstan,Tengrinews reports citing KazMunaiGas Chairman Sauat Mynbayev.

“We will develop a new facility to research oil drilling and production that will become KazMunaiGas’ technological center that hold all the design documents for all the stages of exploration, drilling, production and all the technologies used for development of the fields of KazMunaiGas. They won’t be just stored there, but the institute will be their sole developer,” Mynbayev said during a meet of KazMunaiGas board this week.

Two existing institutes located in Aktau and Atyrau – Atyrau Institute of Oil and Gas being one of them – will be integrated into the new Institute. “They will be monitoring correct implementation of technologies at the fields, as design supervisors, together with the new R&D establishment,” he explained.

“What we have now is that one institute develops design documents, another institute brushes them up and some third institute runs the designer supervision. The situation has to be changed and the field audit should be stepped up. Only exactly what the documents made by the institutes prescribe should be done in the fields,” Mynbayev added.

The enhanced supervision will help improve the quality of work done by local contractors at oil fields. Besides, the new establishment’s cooperation with institutes may finally help fill the gap between education and the actual industry in Kazakhstan.

However, there may be a different side to the new development. KazMunaiGas is entitled to have a share in all the projects that are considered strategic for Kazakhstan. So the plans to transfer all the design documents and technologies used in KazMunaiGas fields might as well mean that technologies from foreign-operated giants like Tengiz and Kashagan may be part of the transfer as well. Foreign companies are very keen to guard their technological secrets and now it remains to be seen whether they will be asked to give them up.

 

Foreigners may obtain group visas during EXPO-2017

Kazakhstan will allow foreigners to obtain group visas for Expo 2017. This will help bring more people to come to the Expo and Kazakhstan. Originally posted to BNews.kz on 12.02.2014:

https://www.bnews.kz/en/news/post/186697/

Foreigners will be able to obtain group visas during EXPO-2017 . The vice-chairman of industry tourism committee of Ministry of Industry and New technologies Aset Musagaliyev said during the “Astana-Moscow-Kiev-Kishinev-Yerevan” video bridge devoted to the CIS tourism development, BNews.kz correspondent reports.

“I want to remind, that in 2017 Kazakhstan will host EXPO-2017. Kazakhstan carryies out a number of actions aimed at the creation of favorable conditions for foreign guests,” Musagaliyev said. 

“The project on group visa obtaining is being developed on the platform of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Most likely such group visa will allow 15 foreigners at the same time to see Expo-2017. But also there is the second variant considered, – visa free regime,” Aset Musagaliyev noted.

 

 

Zhambyl region implements 4 alternative energy projects worth USD 370 million

The Governor of Zhambyl region in Kazakhstan has announced the industrialization of four alternative energy projects. These projects are worth $370 million US dollars and focus on wind, hydro, and solar energy. Originally posted to Kazinform.kz on 10.10.2013:

https://www.kazinform.kz/eng/article/2596230

Zhambyl region is planning to carry out four projects in the field of alternative energy worth 370 million U.S. dollars, Governor of Zhambyl region Kanat Bozumbayev told a briefing in the Central Communications Service, Kazinform refers to primeminister.kz.

“Together with the private sector we are planning to implement four projects in the field of hydro, wind and solar energy with total capacity of 165 MW, and attract investment of approximately 370 million U.S. dollars,” Bozumbayev said.

It is planned to implement a project to build solar power plant with capacity of 50 MW in cooperation with the French and German investors. Now these projects are at different levels of performance. A business plan and a feasibility study has already been prepared.

“It is also planned to build a wind power station with capacity of 100 MW in Zhanatas town… The project will start after the final approval of tariffs for electricity generated by renewable energy sources,” the governor added.

Korday district has been successfully implementing the first investment project on solar energy in the history of Kazakhstan. Its capacity will be increased twofold next year.

Pavlodar to spend 800 million tenge on green region

The Kazakhstan city of Pavlodar is spending 800 million tenge ($5.3 million) on creating a green region in the city. The goal is for the region to be energy effiient and for residents to see their costs for using energy decrease around 40%. Originally posted to TengriNews on 03.09.2013:

https://en.tengrinews.kz/industry_infrastructure/Pavlodar-to-spend-800-million-tenge-on-green-region-22336/

Pavlodar will spend 800 million tenge ($5.3 million) for construction of the green region,Tengrinews.kz reports. Pavlodar authorities are planning to make one of the densely populated regions of the city green and energy-efficient in the nearest two years.

“We plan to spend 800 million tenge on implementation of the project called Energy-efficient green Ussol region. We have an agreement with KazAtomProm that produces energy-efficient equipment. They have good technologies and experts. We will work with them to make our Ussol region energy-efficient and green,” Pavlodar Akim (Mayor) Orazkeldy Kairgeldinov said.

According to him, the implementation of the project will take two years and will be done in two stages. This year’s stage will make street lighting more efficient and see new siblings planted in the target region. The second stage in 2014 will be focused on making internal power networks of residential buildings of Ussol region more energy-efficient in the framework of the public utilities modernization program.

“We have made the preliminary calculations. I personally took part in this work. We found that implementation of the energy-saving program in Ussol region will allow the citizens to lower their energy expenses by 39-40 percent. This means that people will be saving and paying less for the utilities,” Kairgeldinov said.

Kazakhstan Going Green to 2050

According to President Nazarbayev’s Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy, Kazakhstan will use renewable and alternative energy sources to create 50% of the electric capacity generated in Kazakhstan. This is just one component of Kazakhstan’s comprehensive initiative to transfer from one of the world’s premier hydrocarbon energy producers to a model “green” economy. In addition to green energy creation, Kazakhstan’s transition also focuses on water resource conservation, agriculture and waste management, and measures aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Kazakhstan will be the first CIS country to launch a cap and trade system to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmental Protection Minister Nurlan Kapparov has stated that the total public and private costs to implement such sweeping programs will total an average of $3.2 billion a year until 2050 – approximately 1 percent of GDP. Major foreign investors including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Financial Corporation, the World Bank and cooperative governments have already begun green partnerships in Kazakhstan. Despite these costs, the green initiative is expected to add 600,000 new jobs and has the potential to add up to 3 percent of GDP annually to Kazakhstan’s current economic growth.

UN Secretariat approves Strategy of sustainable energy of future Kazakhstan till 2050 concept

 The UN Secretariat has approved the concept of sustainable energy in Kazakhstan. Part of the contribution comes from Rio +20, the Astana Economic Forum, and the 2017 World Expo. Originally posted to Trend.az on 07.29.2013:

https://en.trend.az/capital/energy/2175155.html

Kazakhstan, Astana, July 29 / Trend, D. Mukhtarov /

The UN Secretariat has approved the concept of the ‘Strategy of sustainable energy of future Kazakhstan till 2050’, the press service of the Astana Economic Forum organizing committee reported on Monday.

“The developers of ‘Strategy of sustainable energy of future Kazakhstan till 2050’ held a series of meetings with the employees of UN Secretariat and the UN Secretary General’s office, which resulted in approval of Kazakhstan’s decision on developing a national energy strategy,” press service said.

Representatives of the UN Secretariat noted that the developed strategy fully corresponds with the Rio +20 outcome document ‘The future we want’, and with the aims of the SEFA 2030 initiative (universal access to modern energy sources, doubling the share of renewable energy sources, doubling of energy efficiency).

“Following the meeting recommendations for promotion and implementation of Kazakhstan’s strategy were received,” the document says.

The project of ‘Strategy of sustainable energy of future Kazakhstan till 2050’ concept was considered and discussed at ‘Sustainable energy strategy of future Kazakhstan’ panel session within the framework of VI Astana Economic Forum in 2013.

This project is aimed at consolidating Kazakhstan’s initiatives in the field of sustainable energy for country’s transition to a green economy and at a maximum demonstration of country’s commitment to future energy at EXPO 2017. It is also Kazakhstan’s contribution to the implementation of the UN initiative ‘Sustainable Energy for All’ (SEFA).