Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ALMATY/WUHAN, June 17 (Xinhua) — In the northern Altai Mountains of Kazakhstan’s hilly East Kazakhstan region, coniferous forests stretch along forested slopes. The Turgusun River flows wildly amid the greenery.
“It is now the flood season, and this is the time when the Turgusun hydroelectric power station generates the most energy,” Sun Peng, deputy director general of the Kazakhstan branch of China International Water and Energy Corporation, told Xinhua.
The Turgusun hydroelectric power station was built under the leadership of this corporation. Construction began in January 2017, and the station was put into operation in July 2021. This is an important cooperation project between China and Kazakhstan, implemented within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. As part of this project, Sun Peng and his colleagues worked in this hard-to-reach mountainous area for four and a half years.
“The installed capacity is 24.9 MW, the average annual electricity generation is 79.8 million kWh, the hydroelectric power station allows us to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 72 thousand tons annually,” Sun Peng, who was the head of the engineering department during the construction of the hydroelectric power station, is well versed in numbers. “The Turgusun hydroelectric power station has covered half of the electricity deficit in the Altai region of the East Kazakhstan region and has significantly contributed to the region’s transition to low-carbon development.”
As Sun Peng spoke, a bee flew past him and landed on a wild flower. Bees are very sensitive to ecology, and their appearance often indicates clean air, clean water, and dense vegetation. The East Kazakhstan region is famous for its honey production, and there are many beekeepers living around the hydroelectric power station.
“It /hydroelectric power station/ contributes not only to economic and social development, but also to the environmental friendliness of the East Kazakhstan region,” says Asset Maksut, director of the Turgusun company. “The hydroelectric power station helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. We implemented this project as part of the program of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the development of green energy.”
Thanks to the strict environmental standards of the Chinese-Kazakh construction team, rare species of cold-water fish continue to live in the Turgusun River.
From environmental protection to promoting technological cooperation, the Turgusun HPP has demonstrated the importance of cross-border cooperation and has become a model for other clean energy projects. Sun Peng said that China International Water and Energy Corporation will continue to deepen cooperation with its Kazakh partners and work on other hydropower projects in the East Kazakhstan region, continuing to support the energy transition.
“Kazakhstan is one of the priority markets for our overseas business development. For 20 years, we have been working hand in hand with the Kazakh side, overcoming all difficulties together, constantly strengthening cooperation in the energy sector, improving the well-being of the population, deepening mutual understanding between cultures and jointly promoting the prosperity and development of the region. In the future, we will continue to use our professional advantages in the fields of hydropower, electric power and clean energy to make new, even more significant contributions to building a more cohesive community with a shared future for China and Central Asia,” says Wan Qizhou, Chairman of the Board of Directors of China International Water and Energy Corporation.
Here, on the banks of the Turgusun River, new hydropower projects are being developed, turning the idea of clean energy into reality. Thus, cooperation between China and Kazakhstan continues to develop, spreading to new areas. The story of green development of this land continues. –0–