Semipalatinsk Hydropower Project Revived After 30 Years

Kazakhstan and Russia are in talks over the possible construction of a hydropower plant (HPP) on the Irtysh River, Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev said at a briefing.

The proposed Semipalatinsk (or Bulak) hydropower plant dates back to the Soviet era. Work began in the early 1990s but was halted after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some preparatory steps had already been completed, including laying a power line to the planned construction site.

There have been several attempts to revive the project. In the mid-2010s, the authorities decided to prepare a new feasibility study and buy land for construction. Nevertheless, the project kept being postponed, with implementation dates pushed back. It returned to the agenda in 2024.

The Semipalatinsk HPP is planned in Kazakhstan near the Russian border and Omsk Region. Some Russian experts worry that the station, which would serve as a counter-regulator for the Shulbinsk HPP, could harm the Irtysh River ecosystem. Other specialists, including some in Russia, believe no additional damage would occur.

Among them is Omsk environmentalist Sergey Kostarev, who believes the new construction would not lower the river’s water level. In 2006, however, Olga Bazhenova, head of the Ecology and Biology Department at Omsk State Agrarian University, raised concerns about environmental damage from increased pressure on the Irtysh, noting that the river was already affected by human activity.

The Semipalatinsk HPP is considered important for Kazakhstan because it could solve several existing problems. It would substantially increase the capacity of the Irtysh cascade and become a key facility for meeting both base and peak demand. The new reservoir would also be important to Pavlodar, Abai, and East Kazakhstan Regions.

In July 2024, Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev told reporters the project was being discussed with Russia. He said a Russian company might be among the contractors, while Kazakhstan was also negotiating with other potential contractors.

Earlier reports suggested that China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group Co., Ltd. might build the HPP. A cooperation memorandum was signed with the company in Semey in 2023. At that time, the planned capacity was 350 MW; current discussions refer to 300 MW. The Soviet-era Bulak HPP design had proposed 80 MW.

Three similar facilities already operate on the Irtysh River in Kazakhstan: the Ust-Kamenogorsk HPP (368 MW), commissioned in 1939; the Bukhtarma HPP (675 MW), built in the 1960s; and the Shulbinsk HPP (702 MW), which became Kazakhstan’s most powerful hydropower station after its final unit was commissioned in 1994.

Source: https://overclockers.ru/