The wind on the banks of the Syr Darya River blows through the tinkling tracks of camel bells on the ancient Silk Road, and also lifts up the mountains of garbage and dust on the outskirts of Shymkent. When the builders from Qinchuan, 800 miles away, waved their first shovel, a green revolution about turning waste into electricity sprouted here. The ancient relay station is quietly changing into a modern and environmentally friendly filter.

On July 28, 2026, the Shaanxi Jianqimkent Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Project officially started construction in Central Asia. The project spans 3000 kilometers from the bank of the Bahe River to the bank of the Syr River, adding important practice to the joint construction of the the Belt and Road green production capacity cooperation. This is also the first systematic overseas landing of the integrated full industry chain capability of investment, construction, and operation in the solid waste field under the Shaanxi Construction Operation Leading, Investment Driven, and Construction Support model. Habit Szdekuov, Mayor of Shymkent City, Kazakhstan, and Yang Haisheng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Shaanxi Construction Holdings Group, attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

The project is located in the hinterland of Central Asia

Shymkent is the largest city in southern Kazakhstan and an important post on the ancient Silk Road. With the continuous expansion of cities and the continuous growth of domestic waste production, traditional disposal methods such as open-air dumping and simple landfill are unable to meet development needs, and environmental pressure continues to increase. Improving waste disposal facilities has become an urgent demand for local residents and governments.

At present, the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Kazakhstan is steadily advancing, the joint construction of the the Belt and Road is moving towards high-quality development, and green infrastructure, clean energy, and production capacity cooperation are constantly landing. In this context, Shaanxi Construction Seventh Construction Company has laid out its plans in Chimkent and is planning to construct a 330000 ton domestic waste incineration power plant with an annual processing capacity, in response to the demand for urban green development. The project is equipped with two incinerators capable of processing 500 tons per day and one 30 MW condensing steam turbine generator set. After the project is put into operation, the annual output of electricity can guarantee the electricity consumption of tens of thousands of residents and achieve the utilization of waste resources.

Urgent need to build green power plants

Strong local practice is the solid foundation for Shaanxi Construction to explore overseas markets. In recent years, Shaanxi Construction has completed investment, construction, and operation of three garbage incineration power generation projects in Baqiao, Shangluo, Shangzhou, and Qishan, Baoji. Based on practical experience in multiple projects, the team has accumulated a wealth of practical experience in key areas such as waste heat value allocation, flue gas purification, and slag resource utilization, and has built a professional technical management team. Multiple projects have been running stably for a long time, helping the group build a mature integrated system of investment, construction, and operation. This overseas trip is not simply about outputting equipment and drawings, but a comprehensive output of the entire set of operational experience and industry standards. Keywords: Shaanxi Construction, Solid Waste Treatment, Kazakhstan

Strength support empowers local development

The project received recognition from senior officials in Kazakhstan before the start of construction. In April 2025, President Tokayev inspected the key project in Chimkent, listened to the report of Shaanxi Construction Project, fully affirmed the necessity of project construction, and promised to provide policy support. The project construction period is expected to create 200 to 300 temporary positions to help local workers learn new process technologies; After being put into operation, we will continue to provide 70 to 80 long-term professional positions and cultivate local talents in the solid waste industry. At the same time, the project will drive the development of upstream and downstream industries such as building materials transportation, equipment maintenance, and environmental consulting. A garbage incineration power plant will drive the coordinated development of the entire industrial chain and release long-term economic and social benefits.Editor/Gong Ziwei