Chinese enterprises plan to invest in building a waste-to-energy power plant in Kazakhstan
¬ Freight volume between China and Kazakhstan reached 18.7 million tons in the first half of the year, up 9% year-on-year
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Kazinform News Agency — Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Beketayev, met with Cao Debiao, Party Secretary and President of China Tiansheng Co., Ltd., to exchange views on investment projects in the field of municipal solid waste treatment and waste-to-energy power generation.
Beketayev said that under the mutual trust and constructive dialogue maintained by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and Chinese leaders, bilateral cooperation between the two countries has been continuously deepening across various economic sectors and entering a new stage.
He noted that bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and China is expected to reach $48 billion by 2025, and the Kazakh government is fully committed to achieving the goal set by the two heads of state to double bilateral trade volume.
Currently, 77 cooperation projects have been implemented between the two countries, with a total investment of $13.3 billion, creating over 21,600 jobs, while another 269 projects are included in the cooperation reserve list.
The meeting focused particularly on waste-to-energy power generation projects. Currently, construction projects for waste-to-energy plants have already been launched in Astana, Almaty, and Chimkent, and this model is gradually being expanded to other regions.
China Tiansheng Company has been engaged in waste resource utilization and new energy sectors for more than 20 years, operating in over 30 countries including Singapore, Maldives, and France. Cao Debiao stated that the company’s technology and production capacity meet advanced European environmental standards, with current waste processing capacity reaching 4,000 tons per day, which will be increased to 7,000 tons per day in the future. The company can provide integrated services from technical solution design and equipment manufacturing to engineering construction and operation maintenance.
The two sides also discussed the development of medium-sized waste-to-energy plants in Kazakhstan capable of handling 250 to 500 tons of household waste daily. Such projects are better suited for areas with relatively low waste generation volumes where large-scale treatment facilities are unnecessary.
Currently, waste management projects in Kazakhstan are implemented through the Investment Agreement mechanism, with feed-in tariffs for waste-to-energy projects capped at 55 tenge per kilowatt-hour.
After the meeting, Beketayev instructed the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, together with relevant departments, to accelerate negotiations with China Tiansheng Company and submit the investment agreement for approval within two weeks. The agreement aims to build municipal solid waste-to-energy power plants in at least three major cities across Kazakhstan.
It is reported that last year Kazakhstan signed investment agreements on waste-to-energy projects with Chinese enterprises. Three projects, with a total investment of 293.3 billion tenge, are currently under construction. Upon completion, these facilities will be able to process 4,500 tons of household waste daily, generate electricity with a capacity of 134 megawatts, and create over 300 long-term jobs.
Among them, Almaty is cooperating with Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection Co., Ltd. to construct a waste-to-energy plant capable of processing 2,000 tons of household waste per day (annual capacity: 730,000 tons), with an installed power generation capacity of 60 megawatts and a total investment of 145.5 billion tenge; Astana is implementing a waste-to-energy project via the Eastern Hope Group, capable of processing no less than 1,500 tons of household waste daily (annual capacity: 550,000 tons), with a power generation capacity of 50 megawatts and a total investment of 94.4 billion tenge; Chimkent is collaborating with Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group to build a waste-to-energy plant capable of processing 1,000 tons of household waste per day (annual capacity: 360,000 tons), with a power generation capacity of 24 megawatts and an investment of approximately 54 billion tenge. Currently, similar projects are also being studied in cities such as Aktobe, Atirau, and Karaganda.
In addition, cities including Aktobe, Atirau, and Karaganda are also actively exploring similar projects.
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Kazinform News Agency — According to the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, freight volume between Kazakhstan and China reached 18.7 million tons from January to June 2026, an increase of 9% compared to the same period last year.
The ministry noted that freight flows in both directions between the two countries continued to grow.
Data shows that during the first half of this year, cargo transported from China to Kazakhstan amounted to 7 million tons, up 9% year-on-year; cargo transported from Kazakhstan to China reached 11.7 million tons, up 10%. Among these, exports to China (including ores, compound feed, black and non-ferrous metals, grain, oil, and petroleum products) totaled 8.5 million tons, up 20% year-on-year.
The Ministry emphasized that the sustained growth in freight volume is due to systematic collaboration between railway departments of both countries. Both sides continue to advance infrastructure construction at border crossings and enhance port throughput capacity, creating favorable conditions for further expanding cross-border freight volumes.
Notably, the Dostyk border crossing has made significant contributions to freight growth. In the first half of this year, cargo transported through this crossing reached 10.6 million tons, up 15%; export cargo volume reached 5.4 million tons, up 15%.
The Ministry explained that since its opening in 1990, Dostyk Station has become a key hub for rail freight between Kazakhstan and China. After years of development, modern infrastructure and freight hubs have been established on both sides of the border, transforming the station into a large transportation hub integrating rich experience, traditional advantages, and modern technologies.
Meanwhile, freight volumes through the Atyrau crossing have also shown steady growth. In the first half of this year, cargo transported through this crossing reached 8.1 million tons, up 2% year-on-year; export cargo volume reached 3.1 million tons, up 29%.
The Ministry pointed out that thanks to its advantageous strategic location, Atyrau has become a crucial node in international transport corridors connecting Asia and Europe. Modern transshipment facilities, high throughput capacity, and round-the-clock operational mechanisms ensure smooth cross-border freight flow and lay a solid foundation for continuous expansion of international freight volumes.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870862394510407/
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