Balkhash Ulken power station — Kazakhstan

Balkhash Ulken power station is a 1,320 MW coal power station in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is operated by Balkhash TPP JSC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.7 million homes (estimated). It ranks #6 of 80 Kazakhstan power plants by installed capacity. In context, coal supplies about 54.3% of Kazakhstan's electricity; the national grid averages 805 gCO₂/kWh (14.9% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_balkhashulken_kazak.

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,320 MW, Balkhash Ulken power station is well above the median coal plant in Kazakhstan (435 MW). Technically it is described as supercritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Kazakhstan coal capacity

6.3% of 20,941 MW across 32 plants in this dataset

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Kazakhstan

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Balkhash TPP JSC [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #3 largest coal power plant of 32 in Kazakhstan by capacity.

Kazakhstan has 32 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 20,941 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Ulken nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 2,400 MW · Almaty

Location

Coordinates 45.207419, 73.957572 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions