Semey-3 power station — Kazakhstan

Semey-3 power station is a 360 MW coal power station in East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan. It is operated by Semey Energo LLC. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 451k homes (estimated). It ranks #39 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_semey3_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 360 MW, Semey-3 power station is below 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.

Key facts

Share of Kazakhstan coal capacity

1.7% of 20,941 MW across 32 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

23 of 27 dated coal 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 coal plants in Kazakhstan

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

Owner

Operated by Semey Energo LLC.

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 50.4°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 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 #19 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

• Shulbinskaya HPP · Hydro · 720 MW · East Kazakhstan
• Kurchatov power station · Coal · 700 MW · Pavlodar
• Kurchatov nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 2,400 MW · Pavlodar
• Zhangiztobe · Solar · 30 MW · East Kazakhstan

Location

Coordinates 50.4091, 80.20068 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions