Recently, Energy China reached an important cooperation agreement with the government of Kazakhstan, officially signing an investment and power purchase agreement. The two sides plan to build a solar power station with an installed capacity of 300 megawatts in Sauran District, Turkestan region of Kazakhstan, with a total investment of 320 million US dollars. This move marks a crucial step in the cooperation between China and Kazakhstan in the field of new energy.

According to the information disclosed by the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan on September 3, the agreement signed this time includes two core contents: investment agreement and power purchase and sale agreement. The signing ceremony was held in Beijing, and as an important part of the 8th Kazakhstan China Business Council Meeting, it fully reflects the strong support of the project at the bilateral mechanism level between China and Kazakhstan. According to the plan, the solar power station project will start construction between 2025 and 2026, and after completion, it will become a large-scale investment project in the local energy infrastructure field, injecting new vitality into the optimization of regional energy supply structure.

From the perspective of Kazakhstan's domestic energy strategy, in recent years the country has been actively accelerating its efforts to break free from dependence on fossil fuels and has set a long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Solar energy is listed as a core alternative energy source due to the abundant sunshine resources in the local area, especially in the southern region of Kazakhstan, which has unique advantages in solar energy development. The joint construction of photovoltaic projects between China and Kazakhstan not only highly aligns with Kazakhstan's energy transformation strategy, but also intuitively demonstrates the country's policy orientation of engaging in international cooperation and attracting green investment, which is of great significance in promoting the upgrading of domestic energy structure.

As the main body of this cooperation, China Energy Engineering Corporation is a central enterprise approved by the State Council and supervised by the State owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. This group provides systematic, integrated, full cycle, and comprehensive development plans and services for industries such as energy, electricity, and infrastructure in China and even globally. It is a comprehensive mega group company in the industry. With strong comprehensive strength, China Energy Engineering Group has been listed in the Fortune Global 500 for 11 consecutive years, and ranks among the top in international authoritative rankings such as ENR's Global Engineering Design Company 150. Its business scope covers more than 140 countries and regions around the world. This investment in the solar power plant project in Kazakhstan is an important measure for China Energy Construction to deepen its layout in the Central Asian market, and will further consolidate its leading position in the global new energy engineering general contracting field.

It is worth noting that China Energy Construction's layout in the Central Asian new energy market is not limited to a single project. Prior to the 2nd China Central Asia Summit, its overseas investment companies had signed agreements for the purchase of 300 MW photovoltaic power storage projects in Kazakhstan, shareholder agreements for 500 MW wind power storage projects, and a memorandum of understanding on hydrogen energy research and innovation in Central Asia. From photovoltaics, wind power to hydrogen energy research, they have comprehensively expanded their new energy industry layout in Central Asia, providing diversified solutions for regional energy transformation.

For Kazakhstan, the solar power plant project in cooperation with China Energy Engineering Corporation is a key link in attracting high-quality foreign investment and promoting the transition to green energy. Currently, the influence of Chinese enterprises in the global new energy landscape is constantly increasing, and energy cooperation projects are gradually upgrading from single engineering exports to deep level strategic cooperation. This cooperation between China and Kazakhstan in the field of solar energy will not only bring advanced technology and financial support to Kazakhstan, helping its energy transformation process, but also have a positive driving effect on local socio-economic development, injecting new vitality into bilateral cooperation between China and Kazakhstan. Editor/Wang Xia