Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

Coal will be supplied primarily to the population of Kazakhstan. The Energy Ministry of Kazakhstan proposed to change the scheme of coal shipment, Kazinform reported.

The Energy Ministry in these days is concerned with the issue of coal deficit in the regions, according to the message.

“The ministry will submit a proposal to the Government to review the scheme for coal shipment. The prerogative will be given to the communal and household needs of the population, and only then – to the thermal power plants and export,” Deputy Energy Minister Bakhytzhan Dzhaksaliev said during the meeting on the Karazhyra section in the East Kazakhstan region.

The ministry’s message indicates that shipment of coal for public utilities and the population in 2017 amounted to 12.5 million tons, showing an increase of 18 percent compared to 2016 (10.6 million tons).

Karazhyra is one of the richest coal deposits in Kazakhstan, located in Zhanasemey district of the East Kazakhstan region, 130 km south-west of the city of Semey. Coal reserves here are estimated at more than a billion tons.

The ministry stressed that the situation with providing coal to the population in the country is stable and there is no agiotage with a deficit of solid fuel in any of the regions of Kazakhstan.

In 2017, Kazakhstan produced 106.7 million tons of coal. Kazakhstan contains Central Asia’s largest recoverable coal reserves.The country has more than 400 coal deposits of which a third are classified as brown coal or lignite deposits.

The Karaganda, Ekibastuz and Maikuben basins, and Kushokinsk, Borly, Shubarkol and Karazhyr deposits, as well as some other (small) deposits in various regions of the Republic (where coal mining is presently of insignificant volume, to meet local requirements), are developed and operating.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz