Doosan Enerbility signed a memorandum with Kazakhstan’s government to help modernize the country’s aging power infrastructure, expanding its footprint in Central Asia’s largest energy market.
The South Korean energy equipment maker plans to supply technology for Kazakhstan’s transition away from coal-fired plants, which currently generate about 80% of the country’s electricity. More than half of Kazakhstan’s fossil fuel plants have operated for over three decades, requiring urgent upgrades.
The deal follows Doosan’s 1.15 trillion won ($840 million) contract last year to build a combined cycle power plant in Kazakhstan’s Shymkent region. The company is positioning itself to participate in Kazakhstan’s planned construction of two nuclear power plants in the Ulken region, which gained 71% public support in a recent referendum.
Kazakhstan aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, creating opportunities for suppliers of clean energy technology. The country is particularly focused on nuclear power to reduce its reliance on coal.
The agreement was signed at Doosan’s Changwon facility, where Kazakh Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev and other officials toured the company’s nuclear and turbine manufacturing operations.