JSC Bukhtarminskaya — Kazakhstan

JSC Bukhtarminskaya is a 675 MW hydro power station in East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan. It is operated by Samruk-Energo JSC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 676k homes (estimated). It ranks #21 of 80 Kazakhstan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1968, it is around 58 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 8.5% 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 WRI1000296.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000602324; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as conventional storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

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

Key facts

Share of Kazakhstan hydro capacity

32.3% of 2,090 MW across 4 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

1 of 4 dated hydro plants in Kazakhstan is older

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

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Kazakhstan

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

Owner

Operated by Samruk-Energo JSC [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 134% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 97/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — 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 #2 largest hydro power plant of 4 in Kazakhstan by capacity.

Kazakhstan has 4 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 2,090 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Ust-Kamenogorsk HPP · Hydro · 331 MW · East Kazakhstan
• Sogrinsk · Coal · 75 MW · East Kazakhstan
• Ust-Kamenogorsk-2 power station · Coal · 360 MW · East Kazakhstan
• Ust-Kamenogorsk TETS power station · Coal · 308 MW · East Kazakhstan
• Ridder · Coal · 59 MW · East Kazakhstan

Location

Coordinates 49.6588, 83.347 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions