World Monitor Magazine WM_Energy 2017 | Page 22

Invest to kazakhstan development prospects of electric power industry in Kazakhstan This year, KEGOC celebrated its 20th anniversary. What are the three main milestones the company has passed over the years? Over 20 years of the company's existence, there have been many developments and all of them have left a significant mark in the history of KEGOC development. Among them, there are three most significant developments. Bakytzhan Kazhiyev, Chairman of KEGOC Management Board The first is the implementation of the first large-scale infrastructure project: Construction of the second line of 500 kV North-South transit. In the early 2000s, the southern region of the country was energy deficient. The electricity deficit was about 4.7 billion kWh, and this figure, taking into account the dynamic development of the region, could grow further. One of the ways to solve this problem was the implementation of the project for ‘Construction of the second line of 500 kV North-South Kazakhstan transit’, which increased the electric power transmission capacity in the direction of north-south from 4.5 billion kWh to 7-7.5 billion kWh (1,350 MW). The president of our country supported this major strategic project. Its implementation was started in 2004 and divided into three stages: the first stage – 500 kV OHTL YUKGRES-Shu, the second – 500 kV OHTL Ekibastuz-Agadyr, and the third – OHTL 500 kV Agadyr-YUKGRES. The total length of the second line of 500 kV of the North- South transit was 1,097 kilometers. 20 world monitor To implement the project, KEGOC raised funds from international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and two loans from the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. It should be noted that the EBRD issued two commercial loans without a state guarantee, which indicates the bank’s full confidence in the company, as well as the full financial stability of the company. It should be noted that this construction used advanced world experience, innovative technologies, including polymer insulation and OPGW cables. For the first time in Kazakhstan, unique innovative equipment was used – controlled shunt reactors of 500 kV. The existing 500 kV substations was expanded. The line was equipped with necessary relay protection and emergency automations, dispatching and technological control equipment, as well as telecommunication facilities. The second event is participation in the ‘People’s IPO’ government programme. In 2014, KEGOC made an initial public offering on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, thereby taking part in the ‘People’s IPO’ government programme. Then the demand for shares exceeded the supply by 27 per cent and became a sign of high confidence in the company. As a participant of the ‘People’s IPO’ programme the company has significantly increased its transparency