New 30 MW Hydroelectric Plant Planned for Kazakhstan’s Baskan River
A new 30-megawatt hydroelectric power plant and a large reservoir will be constructed in the Sarkand district of the Zhetysu region in Kazakhstan. The project on the Baskan River is being developed by Baskan Irrigation, a company ultimately controlled by Vladimir Kim and Oleg Novachuk, co-owners of the copper corporation KAZ Minerals. Public hearings regarding the construction of the facility took place in the village of Almaly.
The Pokatilovka Hydroelectric Power Plant will be built eighteen kilometers east of the settlement of Sarkand, directly adjacent to the village of Ekiasha. The engineering design involves the creation of a reservoir with an annual volume of up to 80 million cubic meters and a useful water yield of 246 million cubic meters. Depending on the operational regime, the water surface area will range from 444 to 455 hectares. Project engineers are evaluating two options for the dam location: either 3.5 or 5.1 kilometers downstream from Ekiasha. Under either scenario, the reservoir basin will stretch three kilometers in length and reach a maximum width of nearly two kilometers.
The infrastructure will serve a dual purpose of energy generation and agricultural land reclamation. In addition to generating 30,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, water from the new reservoir will be utilized to irrigate 32,000 hectares of farmland in the district. The existing water intake facility on the Baskan River will serve as the foundation for the new hydraulic system.
Construction operations will span a two-year period, with the active phase scheduled between 2026 and 2028. The Pokatilovka facility is targeted to commence commercial operations in October 2028. Baskan Irrigation secured the development rights during a renewable energy auction held in November 2024. The company secured a tariff of 41.22 tenge per kilowatt-hour, excluding value-added tax, bidding just one tiyn below the starting price. Competing firms in the auction acquired less favorable contractual terms.
The ownership structure of the development company consists of a complex network of holding entities. The legal entity Baskan Irrigation is controlled by EnergyBridge Ltd, a corporate resident of the Astana International Financial Centre. This controlling entity is jointly owned by Alen Baigazin, Kairat Orazbekov, and PowerBridge Limited. Ultimate control of the asset is maintained through a corporate chain – including KAZ Minerals Holding Limited, Dubai-registered KAZ Minerals International DMCC, and the Kazakhstani firm Trianon Limited – by Vladimir Kim, a billionaire with a net worth of 5.9 billion dollars, and his business partner Oleg Novachuk, who holds a capital of 388 million dollars.
