China's State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) has moved its 1 GW wind project in Kazakhstan from paperwork to construction. The site is near the city of Ekibastuz in Pavlodar region. The plan includes an energy storage system rated at 300 MW with 600 MWh of capacity, total investment of about $1.2 billion and commissioning in 2029. Kazakh officials describe it as the largest wind power plant in Kazakhstan and across the CIS.
On 10 September, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy held a working meeting with SPIC management to review where the project stands and what comes next. The ministry's figures match earlier ones: $1.2 billion in foreign direct investment, commissioning in 2029, with SPIC and Pavlodar Green Energy LLP carrying out the project. Kazinform, Sputnik Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan Today all carried the ministry's statement that day.
From agreements to groundbreaking
The project has moved quickly this year. On 29 January, the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund reported that its head, Nurlan Zhakupov, met SPIC vice president Chen Haibin to discuss the 1 GW wind farm in Pavlodar region, with commissioning targeted for the second quarter of 2029. The fund said the project falls under an intergovernmental agreement between Kazakhstan and China, and that the next step would be an investment agreement involving the Energy Ministry.
That step followed straight away. Government Resolution No. 45 of 28 January 2026 approved the signing of an investment agreement between the government and Pavlodar Green Energy for a wind power plant with battery energy storage, citing Article 295-2(1) of the Entrepreneurial Code. According to Kazinform, the Energy Ministry, SPIC and Pavlodar Green Energy signed a package of cooperation documents on 29 January.
In late March, a groundbreaking ceremony with a time capsule was held in Pavlodar region. Samruk-Energy said on its website that it is carrying out the project in partnership with SPIC. Those on site included Samruk-Energy CEO Kairat Maxutov, Pavlodar regional governor Asain Baikhanov and SPIC Green Energy chairman Shou Rufeng, while Zhakupov, Chinese Ambassador Han Chunlin and Chen Haibin spoke by video link. The national renewables platform QazaqGreen also reported the start of construction on 31 March.
Storage is the key feature
Rules related to this news
- What is the capacity of the Aktobe Steklo glass container plant and when does construction start?The Aktobe glass container plant is being built by Aktobe Steklo LLP.Text and legal basis →
- Renewable energy auction PPA 20 years KazakhstanRES projects selected at auctions sign a 20-year power purchase agreement with the single buyer, which is responsible …Text and legal basis →
- Kazakhstan renewable energy capacity 2025At end-2025 renewable capacity was 3,749.6 MW (wind 2,059, solar 1,375, hydro 314, biogas 1.8) across 169 plants; rene…Text and legal basis →
Wind output rises and falls with the weather, and connecting a gigawatt-scale wind farm puts real pressure on grid dispatch. When the documents were signed in January, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov stressed that storage would smooth out natural swings in renewable generation and keep power flowing steadily into the Unified Power System.
The ministry estimates the plant will generate about 3.4 billion kWh a year and cut CO₂ emissions by roughly 2 million tonnes annually. Ekibastuz is one of Kazakhstan's coal power hubs, so a large wind-plus-storage plant there says a lot about the direction of the country's energy mix.
What it means for Chinese companies
Here a Chinese state-owned energy group is coming in as an investor, not just as an equipment supplier or contractor. The ministry's September statement said the two sides also talked about other areas of energy cooperation and possible new joint projects.
For companies in wind turbines, battery storage and power conversion, substations and transmission, installation and maintenance, the project now has a clear size, investment figure and target date, which makes it worth tracking. Equipment procurement, installation, commissioning and grid connection still lie ahead before 2029, so timelines should be checked against later updates from the project partners and Kazakh authorities.
Sources:
Samruk-Energy (30 March 2026), https://samruk-energy.kz/en/press-center/news/2664-samruk-energy-jsc-launches-construction-of-another-major-wind-power-project-in-the-cis
Samruk-Kazyna (29 January 2026), https://www.sk.kz/press-center/news/78809/?lang=en
Kazinform, Chinese edition (30 January 2026), https://cn.inform.kz/news/zhongnengzuowen-38cc2b/
QazaqGreen (31 March 2026), https://qazaqgreen.com/en/news/kazakhstan/3471/
Sputnik Kazakhstan (10 September 2026, citing the Energy Ministry), https://ru.sputnik.kz/20260910/stroitelstvo-vetroelektrostantsii-pod-ekibastuzom-obsudili-minenergo-s-investorom-iz-kitaya-66525116.html
Kazakhstan Today (10 September 2026, citing the Energy Ministry), https://www.kt.kz/eng/economy/china_s_spic_to_invest_1_2_billion_in_wind_farm_in_1377999470.html
Kazinform, Kazakh edition (10 September 2026, citing the Energy Ministry), https://kaz.inform.kz/news/pavlodar-oblisinda-12-mlrd-dollarlik-zhel-elektr-stantsiyasi-salinadi-13dd5569/
Paragraph legal database, Government Resolution No. 45 of 28 January 2026, https://prg.kz/document/?doc_id=37878281
Key facts
- 国家电投与Pavlodar Green Energy are jointly implementing a wind power and energy storage project in Kazakhstan.
- The project is located near the city of Ekibastuz in Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan.
- The project plans 1 GW of wind power capacity, supported by a 300 MW/600 MWh energy storage system.
- The total investment is approximately USD 1.2 billion, and the project is scheduled to become operational in 2029.
- The Ekibastuz wind power and energy storage project has moved from the contract-signing stage into construction.
- 哈萨克斯坦能源部 estimates that, after completion, the project will generate approximately 3.4 billion kWh of electricity annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 2 million tonnes per year.
FAQ
What are the project's capacity, total investment, and target commissioning date?
The project comprises 1 GW of wind power capacity and a 300 MW/600 MWh energy storage system. Total investment is approximately USD 1.2 billion, and the project is scheduled to become operational in 2029.
Why is energy storage included in the project?
Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy said that energy storage is used to balance the natural fluctuations in renewable power generation and provide a stable power supply to the national unified power system.
What stage has the project reached?
The project has moved beyond the contract-signing stage and entered construction, with a groundbreaking ceremony held in late March. The process from the start of construction to commissioning will still include equipment procurement, installation and commissioning, and grid connection.
Which segments of the industrial chain can be monitored?
Areas worth monitoring include wind turbines, energy storage batteries and power conversion equipment, step-up substations and power transmission and transformation projects, construction and installation, and subsequent operation and maintenance. Specific progress will be subject to information subsequently announced by the project parties and Kazakhstan's relevant authorities.