MAEK 3 power station — Kazakhstan

MAEK 3 power station is a 855 MW gas power station in Mangistau, Kazakhstan. It is operated by MAEK LLP [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 963k homes (estimated). It ranks #16 of 80 Kazakhstan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 29.4% 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 GOGPT_maek3_kazakh.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 625 MW for MAEK 3 power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Data provenance

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

capacity: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 855 MW, MAEK 3 power station is well above the median gas plant in Kazakhstan (250 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

Key facts

Share of Kazakhstan gas capacity

6.2% of 13,872 MW across 35 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

4 of 30 dated gas plants in Kazakhstan are older

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Kazakhstan

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

Owner

Operated by MAEK LLP [100%].

Climate zone & how it works

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 43.6°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).

How it compares & nearby plants

The #5 largest gas power plant of 35 in Kazakhstan by capacity.

Kazakhstan has 35 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 13,872 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• MAEK 2 power station · Gas · 685 MW · Mangistau
• Aktau nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 90 MW · Mangystau

Location

Coordinates 43.597002, 51.289326 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions