French independent power producer (IPP) Total Eren is all set to construct two solar projects in Kazakhstan with a total capacity of 128MW.
Being the first projects in the country and in Central Asia for Total Eren, the projects are expected to cost nearly $157m (£125m). The first project is the Nomad, a 28MW solar plant to be located near the village of Zhalagash in the Kyzylorda region. The second project is the 100MW M-KAT, which will be located in the village of Shu in the Zhambyl region.
The company has also finalised the financial agreements for the two projects. The Nomad project will be financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with $26.4m (£21m) and the second project will be financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB) with $30.5m (£24.3m) and a $58m (£46m) from EBRD.
Total Kazakhstan country chair Pascal Breant said: “With those two solar projects, Total is strengthening itsties with Kazakhstan where it has been present for 25 years as strategic partner in the energy sector.”
Total Eren has 15-year PPAs for the solar projects
The two projects have each secured a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The M-KAT project secured PPA with the Financial Settlement Center for Renewable Energy Sources (FSC), in September 2016 and the Nomad project secured the PPA in February 2017.
FSC was created by Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC), to purchase electricity produced from renewable sources.
Total Eren has selected METKA EGN, a subsidiary of MYTILINEOS to provide the turnkey engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) work for the two projects. These two projects will also be the first solar plants to use single-axis trackers in the country.
The solar projects are expected to come online by the end of this year. Once operational, they will generate 225GWh of clean energy together per year, which is enough for supply to 40,000 Kazakh people.
