KazMunayGas, Eni could launch solar plant under hybrid power project in Q3

ASTANA. June 23 (Interfax) - KazMunayGas (KMG) and Italy's Eni could launch a solar plant under their hybrid power project in Q3 2025.

KMG and Eni have agreed on a schedule to complete a 247 MW hybrid power plant in the western Kazakh city of Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan's national oil company said Monday.

KMG chairman Askhat Khasenov met with Luca Vignati, Eni's director of natural resources exploration and production, to review the project's progress.

"The solar power component is scheduled to come online in the third quarter of 2025, while the gas and wind units are expected to be launched in 2026," KMG said.

Construction of the hybrid facility began in July 2024. The project combines renewable energy, solar and wind, developed by Eni's subsidiary Plenitude, with a gas-fired power plant. The solar plant's capacity will be 50 MW, wind plant - 77 MW and gas - 120 MW.

The plant is intended to ensure a stable and reliable electricity supply to KMG subsidiaries in the region, including Ozenmunaigas and KazGPZ. The investment is shared equally by KMG and Eni, although the total cost has not been disclosed.

KazMunayGas is Kazakhstan's national operator for the exploration, production, refining, and transportation of hydrocarbons and represents the state's interests in the oil and gas sector.

Eni has operated in Kazakhstan's upstream sector since the early 1990s. It is a co-operator of the Karachaganak field and a member of the North Caspian consortium developing the Kashagan field. Since 2017, Eni and KMG have jointly held subsoil use rights for exploration and production at the offshore Isatay block.

Through its subsidiary Arm Wind, Eni is also active in Kazakhstan's renewables sector. The company has built two wind power plants, Badamsha-1 and Badamsha-2, in the Aktobe region with a combined capacity of 96 megawatts, and a 50-megawatt solar plant in the town of Shaulder in the Turkestan region.