Shymkent CHP-3 power station — Kazakhstan

Shymkent CHP-3 power station is a 716 MW gas power station in Turkistan, Kazakhstan. It is operated by 3-Energoortalyk JSC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 806k homes (estimated). It ranks #18 of 80 Kazakhstan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1980, it is around 46 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_shymkentchp3_kazakh.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 160 MW for Shymkent CHP-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 716 MW, Shymkent CHP-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

5.2% of 13,872 MW across 35 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

3 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 3-Energoortalyk JSC [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 hot-summer Mediterranean continental climate (Köppen Dsa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.3°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 #6 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

• Aksa Enerji Shymkent power station · Gas · 500 MW · Turkistan
• Turkistan power station · Gas · 926.5 MW · Turkistan
• Charvak · Hydro · 666 MW · Toshkent
• Khodjikent · Hydro · 165 MW · Toshkent
• Gazalkent · Hydro · 120 MW · Toshkent
• Tavak · Hydro · 70 MW · Toshkent

Location

Coordinates 42.27335, 69.693644 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions