French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to provide all the electricity generated from the 1 GW Mirny wind farm in Kazakhstan to the state-run Financial Settlement Center of Renewable Energy.
To be located in the Zhambyl region of the country, the wind farm will include a 600 MWh battery energy storage system to ensure reliable power supply. The total estimated cost of the wind farm’s development will be $1.4bn.
TotalEnergies’ subsidiary Total Eren is developing the project in collaboration with Kazakhstan’s national wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna, and the national company KazMunayGas. The two Kazakh entities will each own a 20% stake in the project.
Electricity from the wind farm will be sold to the Financial Settlement Center of Renewable Energy for the national grid under the 25-year PPA.
It will meet the power demands of one million people and help to prevent 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
The Mirny wind farm will feature 200 turbines and will be the largest wind project in Kazakhstan.
Backed by both the French and Kazakh governments, the project will contribute to Kazakhstan’s goal of generating 15% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
TotalEnergies chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné stated: “As a global energy leader, TotalEnergies is proud to drive the energy transition in Kazakhstan through such an innovative project as Mirny. This wind and battery project will contribute to the supply and security of the Kazakh power grid. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Kazakh authorities for their support and collaboration throughout this process.”
“This represents a significant milestone in TotalEnergies’ multi-energy strategy. TotalEnergies will bring its expertise in managing large-scale projects to make it a success.”
TotalEnergies previously developed two solar plants in Kazakhstan: M-KAT in the Zhambyl region and Nomad in the Kyzylorda region. Their total generating capacity is 128MW. Both solar plants help to lower the country’s carbon emissions.
