Central Asia's Largest Wind Farm Rises on the Kazakh Steppe

Southern Kazakhstan has long relied on imported and coal-fired power, leaving towns like Zhanatas short on reliable electricity. Zhanatas Wind Power Plant LLP, a joint venture financed with the EBRD, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the Green Climate Fund, built 40 turbines totaling 100 MW of capacity on the open steppe, reaching full commercial operation in June 2021. The plant generates roughly 350 million kWh a year, avoiding an estimated 265,864 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions annually compared with fossil generation. It was one of the first utility-scale wind projects to show large-scale renewables could be commercially financed in Kazakhstan's power market.