THE SCOPE OF LABOR STRESS AND RESPONSIBILITY

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Almaty Energy Complex, which includes three subsidiaries of JSC Samruk-Energo – JSC Alatau Zharyk Companyasy, JSC Almaty Electric Stations and LLP AlmatyEnergoSbyt.

Let’s turn to history. On August 9, 1943, by order of the People’s Commissar of Power Plants of the USSR, the Kazakhenergo District Energy Department was established on the basis of the Alma-Ata Central Electric Station (CES – now CHP-1), hydraulic electric station No. 1, and the Alma-Ata HPP Cascade under construction. Over the years, the most unique projects have been implemented here, many of them were rightfully accompanied by the epithets “the first” or “for the first time”. Among them is the highest–altitude Cascade of Alma-Ata hydroelectric power plants in the USSR with a total capacity of 45.8 MW, which was built in 1959 and provided the city and the region with clean energy. In general, in the 60s, the generation of electricity by Cascade power plants in the total balance of the Almaty power system was 50-60%.

In the sixties of the last century, the first high-pressure boiler unit at the Alma-Ata TPP, the Tekeli power plant with a capacity of 43.4 MW with two CHP plants and the Karatal HPP were put into operation. Next, the first 50 MW power unit of the Alma-Ata State District Electric Power Plant (now CHP-3), the country’s first semi–open type thermal power plant, was launched. Already in 1971, the Kapchagai HPP was built, and then a number of major facilities. Thus, the modern contour of the Almaty energy complex was formed.
The first stage of the Alma-Ata thermal power plant (now CHP-2) with a capacity of 240 MW was commissioned in 1982, the second stage with a capacity of 270 MW was commissioned in 1988. Alma-Ata CHP-2 is a thermal power plant of an original type. In order to increase the level of seismic safety, the station is buried 12 meters deep. Over seventy years, several key areas of activity have developed in the structure of the complex, which, during the restructuring of 2006, in order to further develop the Almaty energy complex, were separated into independent property complexes: JSC Alatau Zharyk Companiyasy, JSC Almaty Electric Stations, LLP AlmatyEnergoSbyt (all three are now part of the group of companies JSCSamruk-Energo”), as well as Almaty Thermal Networks LLP, Taldykorgan Joint-Stock Transport and Electric Grid Company JSC. Such localization in areas and, accordingly, a clear delineation of areas of responsibility largely contributed to the fact that intensive development strategies were chosen in all key areas of the Almaty energy sector. Ensuring the effective operation of their structures, companies also implement large investment projects. It is no coincidence that in recent years, Almaty’s energy sector has been the most innovative and investment–intensive industry in the city.
Currently, Almaty and the Almaty region are intensively developing, 31 investment projects are being implemented in the megalopolis only within the framework of the Industrialization Map, and the Park of Innovative Technologies SEZ continues to develop. All this in the future will require an increase in energy volumes and an increase in the reliability of energy supply. Taking into account these trends, Samruk-Energo Joint Stock Company pays special attention to the development of the organization of the Almaty energy complex. In recent years, together with the Akimat of Almaty, a whole range of measures has been carried out to further develop the energy sector of the country’s largest city and the region as a whole.
In 2012, the Moynak HPP with a capacity of 300 MW was commissioned, which provides coverage of peak and base loads in Almaty. The total electricity generation as of the end of July 2013 amounted to about 2 billion kWh. This year we plan to complete the construction of the Kapshagai solar power plant with a capacity of 2 MW, which will produce about 3.6 million kWh of electricity per year. In the future, it is planned to build a solar power plant near the city of Kapshagai with a capacity of 100 MW. In recent years, a whole range of works has been carried out on the modernization and reconstruction of equipment, environmental protection works at the facilities of the joint–stock company “Almaty Electric Stations” – at all three CHP plants, Kapshagai HPP, the Cascade of Almaty HPPs. An automated commercial electricity metering system (ASKUE) has been put into operation here, which has brought service and optimization of energy costs to a qualitatively new level.
In addition, this year the project for the reconstruction and expansion of Almaty CHPP-2 with the construction of a boiler room is being completed, which will increase the thermal capacity of CHPP-2 to 1,100 Gcal/hour (an increase of 350 Gcal/hour) and transfer the excess thermal capacity of CHPP-2 to the heat supply zone of CHPP-1. Reconstruction of the combined ash and slag removal system of CHP-2 is envisaged. To increase the available capacity of Kapshagai HPP by 110 MW, a counter-regulating Kerbulak HPP on the Ili River with a capacity of 33 MW will be built. Samruk-Energy JSC plans projects such as “Construction of a wind farm in the Shelek corridor with a capacity of 60 MW with a prospect of expansion to 300 MW”, “Construction of the Bulak HPP”, as well as small hydroelectric power plants on the Shelek, Koksu rivers, and the Bolshoy Almaty Canal.
JSC Alatau Zharyk Companyasy, the largest energy system in the region for the transmission and distribution of electricity, is also actively growing. In recent years, AGC has been increasing energy transmission volumes by 5-7% annually. The radius of its service extends from the shores of Lake Balkhash to the borders with China. AJK is part of the ECO of Central Asia, which operates in parallel with Russia. Over the past five years alone, more than 20 modern substations have been built: Medeu, Shymkent, KazGU, Ermensai, Otrar, Novaya 16, Alatau and others. A part of the power grids has been reconstructed and modernized. This allowed the company to increase the transformer capacity to 779 megavoltamps. This year, work will be completed on the creation of a 220 kV transmission line ring and support substations around Almaty. The construction of 110 kV Altai, Mamyr and Novaya 3A substations continues, which are necessary for reliable and uninterrupted power supply to the growing loads of the northern part of Almaty, as well as the creation of an ASCUE system and an information collection and processing system (SCADA). All new and reconstructed substations and power lines have been upgraded and equipped with the most modern equipment. Significant work in the region is carried out by AlmatyEnergoSbyt LLP, an energy supplier company to consumers. The LLP team managed to establish maximum accounting and control over electricity consumption. The company has built a modern, flexible and effective system of customer relations.
All of the above would not have been possible without a highly professional team of power engineers, including many labor dynasties. The names of A. O. Arystanov, T. I. Baturov, B. E. Orazbayev, A. Zh. Zhakutov, Sh. Chokin and others are inscribed in golden letters in the history of Almaty energy. We supported the proposal of the Council of Veteran Power Engineers of the Kazakhstan Electric Power Association to assign the Almaty CHP-2 named after Honored Power engineer Aitkali Zhakutov and the appeal of the management of AlES JSC to assign the Kapchagai HPP complex named after its founder, Academician Shafik Chokin.
Taking this opportunity, I would also like to congratulate all the workers of the Almaty energy Complex on their 70th anniversary and express gratitude to our veterans: A. K. Kadyrzhanov, S. S. Nurpeisov, K. B. Iskakov, K. D. Dukenbaev, V. S. Torlambaev, A. J. Kaliev, R. Ya. Sayfutdinov, T. H. Musagaliev, U. A. Akylbaev, A. A. Doronkin, A. A. Akinzhanov, S. Seitov, L. I. Zhuravlev, V. N. Antoshchuk, V. A. Abubakirov, L. U. Bulakhova, A.M. Vasiliev, V. A. Tokarev, B. B. Insepov, B. D. Bozzhanov and many other specialists whose contribution cannot be overestimated.

Gani SALIMZHUAROV, Manager of the Distribution and Sales Division, Member of the Management Board of Samruk-Energo JSC