Kazakhstan targets electricity surplus through 13.3 GW capacity expansion

Kazakhstan aims to commission 13.3 GW of power capacity by the end of 2029, including 12.56 GW of new generation. The government expects this expansion to move the country from an electricity deficit to a sustained surplus by 2029, with a projected surplus of 17.6 billion kWh.

However, rising energy demands from new industrial projects and data centers may offset these gains. The Data Center Valley project in Ekibastuz, for example, could consume approximately 8.76 billion kWh annually if it reaches its 1 GW capacity goal, which represents nearly half of the projected 2029 surplus. Additionally, the government has announced $10 billion in agreements with U.S.-based Firebird and NVIDIA to develop a large AI computing center utilizing 100,000 advanced computer chips as part of the Data Center Valley initiative.