The impossible is nothing: EBRD assesses the progress of the modernization of Almaty CHPP-2

The construction site of the CHPP-2 named after A.Zhakutov welcomed an important visit from representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), including members of the bank’s Board of Directors, on 17 June 2025.

The visitors were there to check out one of the most ambitious environmental projects in Almaty’s history – the modernization of Almaty Thermal Power Plant №2 with minimal impact on the environment. This project, implemented by AlES JSC with financial support from the EBRD, is crucial for the city’s sustainable development.

Today, the СHPP-2 named after A.Zhakutov is a major source of heat for Almaty, but it’s also one of the main causes of air pollution. The concentration of PM 2.5 particles in the city’s atmosphere is 17 times higher than the World Health Organization’s standards, especially in winter when the city is wrapped in smog.

The implementation of the project will ensure:

• complete replacement of coal in favor of environmentally friendly natural gas;
• elimination of dust containing PM 2.5 and sulphur oxides (SOx);
• reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx ) emissions by more than 86%;
• a 55% reduction in annual CO₂ emissions.

The total amount of the EBRD loan amounts to 130 billion tenge (260 million euros). The financing is intended to replace the main equipment and build a new gas turbine plant. The project contractor is a Chinese consortium comprising Dongfang Electric International Corporation, PowerChina Sepco1 Electric Power Construction and PowerChina Hebei Electric Power Engineering. The equipment is supplied by Siemens Electric and Dongfang Corporation.

Due to the tense geopolitical situation, the usual logistics routes for equipment delivery have been shut down. Siemens gas turbine generators can’t be delivered via the traditional route through Russia or by sea through the Suez Canal. It has travelled a grand distance of 40,000 km: from Europe, around the Cape of Good Hope, across the Indian Ocean, to the Chinese port of Taicang, and then overland to Almaty.

“We visited the site to observe the progress of the work. It is being carried out according to the approved schedule. The first turbine has already arrived at CHPP-2, which is a significant milestone on the path to sustainable energy,” noted Anton Usov, Chief Spokesperson for Central Asia at the EBRD.

The CHPP-2 modernization project is not just a technical conversion to gas, it is a challenge to the very concept of ‘impossible’. The slogan ‘Impossible is nothing’, which has inspired entire generations since 1974, perfectly sums up the essence of what is happening.

The construction work is scheduled to be completed in December 2026. At that point, the brand new, modern, and eco-friendly CHPP-2 will be running at full capacity, bringing heat, light, and, most importantly, and cleaner air to each resident of Almaty.