A unit of the Mangystau nuclear power plant failed July 3, shutting down for a while the oil refinery at Atyrau, at the mouth of the Ural River into the Caspian Sea, in northwestern Kazakhstan, one of three large refineries in the country. (The others are at Shymkent in the south and Pavlodar in the north central region.) The government reported no injuries. Energy minister Almasadam Satkaliev said the government had known since April that the plant was in "critical" condition because it could not afford repairs and decent wages. Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov approved 3.1 billion tenge (almost $7 million) more for the plant, but Satkaliev warns that repairs may take up to eight months. The akimat (leader) of Mangystau had requested 4.9 billion tenge (almost $11 million). Kazakhstan's government projects its own 2023 revenues at 17.8 trillion tenge (nearly $40 billion).
The government's reluctance to spend a few million dollars suggests that it is not serious about diversifying energy sources. Nuclear power provides little power in Kazakhstan, which is rich in coal, oil, natural gas (and uranium, true). Last year the energy ministry said the nuclear share of electricity might rise to 12% by 2035. But the woeful state of the Mangystau plant indicates that this forecast may be optimistic. And it raises the prospect of a more serious accident. Everyone in the former Soviet Union remembers Chernobyl. -- Leon Taylor, Baltimore tayloralmaty@gmail.com
References
Astana Times. Kazakh Government Approves Draft National Budget for Next Three Years - The Astana Times
Aruzhan Daribay. "We knew that the situation was critical." ”Мы знали, что ситуация была критической” - глава Минэнерго о МАЭК: Вчера, 13:18 - новости на Tengrinews.kz
Nuclear Engineering International. Kazakhstan to generate 12% of electricity from nuclear by 2035 - Nuclear Engineering International (neimagazine.com)
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