The purpose of this work is to research the current potential for the development of wind energy in Kazakhstan. It examines whether it would be attractive for foreign investors to build a wind farm in the country and what state licenses and permits would be required for this.
As a background to this project, this document provides information about the country, its political and economical situation, and state mechanisms of investments support. For wind energy, it provides a comprehensive survey of the potential in the country. It reviews the electrical energy market of the country, providing electrical energy production and consumption data. It describes what is being done to develop the renewable energy sector in Kazakhstan, and what barriers to progress presently exist. It describes the features of the electrical grid infrastructure that might be relevant for potential wind farm developers, and also identifies the special territories that are under state protection where construction of wind farms is not allowed.
As a case study, a site was chosen for potential wind farm construction, selected on the basis of quality of wind resource and proximity to consumers. Calculations were made of its wind resource and potential annual energy yield. The predictions were adjusted for expected losses and uncertainties associated with the energy yield, and used as inputs to an economic analysis of the project. A detailed examination was also made of the site environmental assessment issues, and the state licensing and permitting requirements pertaining to the development of the wind farm. The conclusions were that the present low cost of energy in Kazakhstan would make it very difficult to justify a wind farm on purely economic grounds. But if financial incentives appear as part of a national policy to improve environmental performance, as seems likely, the picture will change.