Setting the light of life: the story of Anna Shkurova, a machinist at the Central Boiler Control Room of CHPP-1 after B.Orazbayev, who works to keep thousands of homes as warm as possible

Anna Shkurova has been standing guard of heat and electricity for two decades at CHPP-1 after Orazbayev, where the hum of turbines merges with the rhythm of the metropolis. Her working day starts from checking the monitors of the Central Heat Control Panel, where figures and graphs tell the complete story of pressure, temperature and energy flows. Behind these indicators is not just technology, but the lives of people who have no idea how much effort and knowledge is invested in each switched-on light fixture or hot radiator.

As a child, Anna dreamed of saving lives, imagining herself wearing a white coat. But fate, as it often happens, had a different plan. Once when she visited a thermal power plant, she froze in front of the giant boilers and a web of pipelines. “It was like encountering a living organism”, Anna recalls. – I realized: lives are saved here too, just in a different way. Without energy, there are no hospitals, no schools, and no heat in the houses”. Since then, her heart and soul lie in the energy sector.

Starting as a boiler room operator in 2005, Anna has gone down a path that would have become the script of an inspirational movie. From grade to grade, from simple tasks towards managing the most complex power boilers – each step required perseverance. “There were moments when it seemed like I couldn’t cope”, she admits. – But I always had people who believed in me more than I believed in myself.

Her mentors are the legends of CHPP. Nadezhda Ivanovna Kortyshko, who has devoted 42 years to the energy industry, taught Anna to “feel” the equipment like a musician feels an instrument. Alexander Anatolyevich Sidorov, Deputy Shop Manager, opened to her the world of power boilers, where every detail is a piece of the puzzle. And Svetlana Alexeyevna Serguntsova, a 40-year veteran, showed her what it means to make split-second decisions when the safety of thousands of people depends on you.

In 2017, the station converted from coal to natural gas. This was a new challenge for Anna: “Coal was like an old friend – predictable but capricious. Gas required a different approach: precision, a deep knowledge of physics and chemistry”. She studied new standards, took tolerance exams, learnt to manage risks. “It’s like going from a bicycle to a jet plane. Is it scary? Yes. But when you get over the fear, you feel elation”, she says.

“Our work is invisible as long as everything works,” Anna smiles. – But that is the ultimate reward. The machinist’s job is a constant dialogue with the equipment. Sensors, pressure, and temperature regimes – the slightest malfunction can lead to an accident. That’s why not only knowledge is valued here, but also character: discipline, the ability to analyze data under pressure and work in a team.

According to Anna, modern technologies do not replace a human being, but enhance him. Automation has simplified the routine, but people still make the final decisions. “A computer won’t tell you why a valve is making noise or a pipe is shaking. That knowledge comes with experience”, she explains.

Anna’s life credo is “Don’t rest on your laurels and move forward”. For 20 years, she has not only mastered her profession, but has also become a mentor for young colleagues. “Power engineering is like a sport: if you don’t develop, you fall backwards”, she is convinced.

AlES JSC is like a second home to her. “Here I get stability, but the main thing is the opportunity to grow. Every day I feel that my labor is important. When I see the lights of the city in the evening, I know that part of this light is belongs to me too”.

Anna Shkurova’s story is not just about career growth. It is a story of how the love for her work turns into service. Her hands don’t heal people, but they keep the city alive. Her decisions don’t diagnose, but they prevent disasters. And her tenacity proves: real energy is not born in boilers, but in the hearts of those who are responsible for them every day.

“I once wanted to be a hero in a white coat”, says Anna, looking at the panorama of the CHPP. – Now I realize that heroes can also wear overalls. The main thing is that their labor gives people the light”.

And as long as the lights are on in the homes of citizens and the batteries keep them warm in the winter evenings, people like Anna Shkurova remain invisible but irreplaceable guardians of heat – titans of the energy sector whose hearts beat to the rhythm of the turbines.