The Minister of Energy criticized the progress of work on the renovation and gas conversion of CHP-3 in Almaty. The project is only 26% complete, and the minister threatened penalties for contractors and customers if deadlines are violated. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov inspected the implementation of projects to convert CHP-2 and CHP-3 in Almaty to gas. It turned out that work at CHP-3 is seriously behind schedule. The project is only 26% complete, and key equipment is missing at the site. Only 600 people are working on the construction instead of the required 1,600. This delays the construction of key station units, including the switchgear and control systems.
"Objective deadlines have been approved, no postponements are being discussed! I demand to immediately eliminate the personnel shortage and multiply the amount of special equipment at the construction site," said Yerlan Akkenzhenov.
The minister instructed the customer and the main contractor to increase the pace of construction, attract additional workers and specialists, as well as necessary equipment. Akkenzhenov also ordered measures to accelerate equipment deliveries and update the work schedule without exceeding the established deadlines.
The minister stated that if resources at the facility are not mobilized in the near future, the customer and contractors may face strict penalties.
It is worth noting that the customer of the project is Almaty Electric Stations (AlES), and the contractor is a consortium led by KBI EnergyGroup, which also includes Energo Spets Stroy, StandartEnergo KZ, and Stroyindustriya.
The initially announced deadline for completion of CHP-3 construction is the end of 2026.
The minister also inspected work at CHP-2, where the situation turned out to be much better. The facility is 92% complete, the supply of technological equipment is almost finished, and 1,500 specialists and more than 140 units of construction equipment are working on site.
Akkenzhenov set the task of maintaining the achieved pace of construction. Contractors were instructed to attract additional specialized specialists, including installers and welders, and to speed up the completion of document approval procedures.
Recall that in January 2026, the head of the Ministry of Energy already inspected the progress of gasification of CHPs in Almaty and also criticized the work on CHP-3.