Kazakhstan’s coal industry is entering a period of renewed strategic importance. Rather than treating coal only as an inherited part of the Soviet-era energy system, the government is positioning domestic reserves as a foundation for electricity security, industrial growth, and new generating capacity.
The country already ranks among the world’s leading coal producers and holds approximately 33 billion tonnes of reserves. Annual production exceeds 110 million tonnes, while official figures indicate that output reached about 115.9 million tonnes in 2025. Most proven reserves are concentrated in northern and central Kazakhstan, where large surface mines supply power stations, industrial consumers, municipal heating systems, and export markets.
Kazakhstan is also taking a different direction from many European coal-producing states. Although renewable energy and nuclear power are expected to become more important, coal is not being prepared for rapid removal from the national energy mix. New government plans instead call for the construction and modernization of several gigawatts of coal-fired capacity.
Ekibastuz Remains the Center of Kazakhstan’s Coal Economy
The Ekibastuz Basin in Pavlodar Region is the most important coal-producing area in Kazakhstan. It contains enormous shallow deposits that can be extracted through large open-pit operations. The basin supports some of the country’s largest mines and power stations, creating a closely connected system of coal extraction and electricity generation.
Bogatyr Komir is the dominant mining company in the basin. Its Bogatyr mine is one of the world’s largest open-pit coal operations and supplies major power stations in Kazakhstan as well as customers in neighboring markets. Government plans indicate that production in the area is expected to rise, supported by hundreds of billions of tenge in investment in mining equipment, new construction, modernization, and repairs. The regional production target is 45.2 million tonnes in 2026 and 56.5 million tonnes by 2032.
Ekibastuz coal is generally suitable for large thermal power plants, although it has a high ash content. Its economic value comes partly from the scale of the deposits, the ability to use surface mining, and the presence of established rail links and power infrastructure.
The basin supplies the Ekibastuz GRES-1 and GRES-2 power stations, which form an important part of Kazakhstan’s national grid. A proposed GRES-3 station would strengthen the region’s role further. The government has also included a new 2,640 MW power project at Ekibastuz in its national coal-generation program.
The Karaganda Basin provides another important source of coal, particularly higher-quality material used by power stations, metallurgical industries, and industrial heating systems. Karaganda’s coal sector has a longer underground-mining tradition than Ekibastuz, although its mines can be more expensive and technically difficult to operate.
Together, Ekibastuz and Karaganda give Kazakhstan a broad coal base that supports both power generation and heavy industry.
Coal Still Anchors Electricity and District Heating
Coal remains central to Kazakhstan’s electricity system because many of its largest power plants were designed to burn locally mined fuel. In 2024, coal-fired thermal power plants supplied approximately three-quarters of electricity generated within the country’s unified power system. The same year, Kazakhstan produced about 117.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.
Coal also supplies much of the heat used in Kazakhstan’s cities and industrial centers. Combined heat and power plants are especially important during the country’s long, cold winters, when electricity and heating demand can rise sharply at the same time. Coal therefore performs a wider role than electricity generation alone. It supports district heating networks, industrial steam demand, and municipal boilers across northern, eastern, and central Kazakhstan.
This dependence has exposed weaknesses in aging infrastructure. Several power and heating facilities have operated for decades, and equipment failures have raised concerns about winter reliability. Electricity demand is also increasing as Kazakhstan expands mining, metallurgy, manufacturing, transport electrification, and digital infrastructure.
Available generating capacity is lower than total installed capacity because some plants cannot operate at their original ratings. This gap has contributed to electricity shortages and imports during periods of high demand. The government’s response is based partly on repairs and efficiency improvements, but it also includes major new coal construction.
In 2025, Kazakhstan allocated 348 billion tenge to power-plant repairs. The work included major repairs to generating units, boilers, turbines, transmission lines, and heating networks. Further investments are intended to reduce breakdowns and increase the dependable output of existing coal stations.
A Major New Coal-Power Program Changes the Outlook
Kazakhstan approved a national project for coal-fired generation in March 2026. The program covers approximately 7.8 GW of new, expanded, reconstructed, or modernized capacity.
Plans include eight new generating facilities with a combined capacity of about 5.3 GW and improvements to 11 existing power plants representing another 2.5 GW. Major proposed developments include the 2,640 MW Ekibastuz project, a 700 MW station at Kurchatov, and a 500 MW plant at Zhezkazgan. New combined heat and power facilities are also planned in Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Existing stations including Aksu GRES, Ekibastuz GRES-2, and facilities in the Karaganda energy hub are scheduled for modernization.
The scale of the program shows that coal is expected to support Kazakhstan’s effort to eliminate its electricity deficit. Government planning anticipates that new generation projects could allow the country to meet domestic demand more consistently by 2027 and develop a stronger electricity surplus by the end of the decade.
The program also reflects Kazakhstan’s concern that renewable generation alone may not expand quickly enough to serve rising industrial and residential demand. Wind and solar capacity is growing, but these sources require grid reinforcement, balancing resources, and storage. Nuclear power is also part of the longer-term strategy, but Kazakhstan’s first large nuclear units will require years of planning and construction.
Coal therefore serves as an immediately available domestic option. Mines, railways, power stations, and technical workforces already exist, making expansion easier than creating an entirely new energy system.
Cleaner Coal Technology Becomes a Policy Requirement
Kazakhstan describes its new projects as modern coal facilities rather than simple replacements for older stations. Planned plants are expected to use higher-efficiency equipment and stronger pollution-control systems.
The proposed combined heat and power plant in Kokshetau illustrates this approach. Its environmental systems are expected to include low-emission burners, catalysts, electrostatic precipitators, and flue-gas desulfurization. The desulfurization process would produce gypsum that could be used by the construction industry.
Such equipment can reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, dust, and other local air pollutants. Modern boilers and turbines can also produce more electricity from each tonne of coal than many older Soviet-designed units.
However, pollution controls do not remove the carbon dioxide produced by coal combustion. Kazakhstan has committed to long-term decarbonization and is expanding renewable and nuclear power, creating a clear tension between climate objectives and new coal investment. Coal currently supports electricity security and affordable domestic energy, but new plants may operate for several decades.
Carbon capture and storage could eventually become part of the discussion, particularly around large power and industrial sites. Kazakhstan has geological formations that may offer storage potential, but large commercial carbon-capture projects would require substantial investment, technical development, transport infrastructure, and long-term regulation.
The more immediate priority is likely to remain conventional plant efficiency and control of local air pollution.
Coal Exports and Industrial Demand Support Production
Kazakhstan exports part of its coal output, principally through rail-based trade with nearby markets. Russia has traditionally been an important destination, while smaller volumes may reach other countries in Central Asia and Eastern Europe depending on transport access and market conditions.
Exports are important to major producers, but domestic demand remains the industry’s foundation. Power stations consume the largest share, followed by industrial enterprises and municipal users. Metallurgy, ferroalloy production, cement manufacturing, mining, and district heating all depend on stable coal supplies.
The government is also promoting coal chemistry as a possible area of industrial growth. Coal can be processed into chemicals, synthetic fuels, carbon materials, and other higher-value products. Three coal-chemistry projects were under implementation as Kazakhstan developed its broader national coal program.
Developing these industries could reduce dependence on selling untreated coal. It could also create additional demand near mining regions, although the commercial success of coal-conversion projects will depend on production costs, environmental performance, access to water, and competition from oil and natural gas feedstocks.
Rail capacity will remain another important factor. Kazakhstan’s major coal mines are located far from many consumers, so reliable transport is essential. Any major increase in production will require coordination between mining companies, railway operators, power stations, and industrial customers.
Kazakhstan Is Choosing Expansion Before Transition
Kazakhstan’s coal sector is not following a simple path of decline. The country is expanding renewables, preparing nuclear power, increasing natural gas use in selected regions, and improving its power grid. At the same time, it is investing heavily in coal mines and coal-fired generation.
This strategy reflects Kazakhstan’s geography, winter climate, industrial structure, and large domestic reserves. Coal remains abundant, familiar, and capable of supplying continuous electricity and heat. It also supports mining communities and major industrial facilities.
The central question is no longer whether coal will remain part of Kazakhstan’s energy system. Current policy makes that clear. The more important issue is whether the country can modernize its coal fleet quickly enough to improve reliability and local air quality without locking the power system into inefficient, high-emission infrastructure.
Over the remainder of the decade, Kazakhstan’s coal industry will be shaped by the delivery of new generating projects, modernization of existing stations, expansion of Ekibastuz production, and the ability of cleaner technologies to meet stronger environmental requirements. Coal will remain one of the country’s main energy resources even as the wider electricity mix gradually becomes more diverse.
