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OJSC Zhambyl GRES

Coal power plant in Zhambyl, Kazakhstan. Approximate location 42.9, 71.3667.

CoalZhambylKazakhstan

OJSC Zhambyl GRES is a 1,230 MW coal power station in Zhambyl, Kazakhstan. It is operated by JSC Samruk Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #8 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).

1,230Legacy source-record capacity
1,539,257homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000289.

Data status

Known data

FacilityOJSC Zhambyl GRES WRI
CountryKazakhstan · Zhambyl WRI
Coordinates42.9, 71.3667 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,230 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerJSC Samruk Energy WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions5,387,400 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#8 of 80 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#5 of 32 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.83× · 435 MW median · 32 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,539,257 calculated
Climate10.3°C · HDD 3,271 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 31/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,230 MW, OJSC Zhambyl GRES is well above the median coal plant in Kazakhstan (435 MW). 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Kazakhstan

Ekibastuz-1 power station: 4,000 MW4kEkibastuz-…Aksu power station: 2,210 MW2kAksu power…Balkhash Ulken power station: 1,320 MW1kBalkhash U…MAEK-Kazatoprom TPP-2: 1,255 MW1kMAEK-Kazat…OJSC Zhambyl GRES: 1,230 MW1kOJSC Zhamb…Topar power station: 1,179 MW1kTopar powe…Ekibastuz-2 power station: 1,000 MW1kEkibastuz-…Pavlodar TPP-1: 855 MW855Pavlodar T…

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

Owner

Operated by JSC Samruk Energy.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean continental climate (Köppen Dsa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.3°Cannual mean temp
3,271heating degree-days (base 18°C)
482cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
795 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 10 °CON: 3 °CND: -1 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 33% 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: 70/100 — 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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
31/100environmental-severity index
28.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
848 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #5 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

Location

Coordinates 42.9, 71.3667 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is OJSC Zhambyl GRES?

OJSC Zhambyl GRES is a 1,230 MW source-record coal power plant in Zhambyl, Kazakhstan.

How many homes can OJSC Zhambyl GRES power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,539,257 homes (estimated).

Who operates OJSC Zhambyl GRES?

OJSC Zhambyl GRES is operated by JSC Samruk Energy.

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