Environmental protection

JSC "CAEPCO" recognises the scale of its impact on the ecosystem and strives to use natural resources rationally and to protect the health of its employees and the residents of the regions where it operates. To minimise the adverse effects typical of conventional power generation, the Corporation systematically modernises its production assets.

JSC "CAEPCO" pursues environmental protection in the following priority areas:

• reducing emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases (CO₂) into the atmosphere;
• rational water use and control of wastewater discharges;
• effective management of industrial and household waste.

The key principles of environmental safety are set out in the Environmental Policy of JSC "CAEPCO". The document defines the Corporation's environmental objectives in the regions where it operates and emphasises the importance of continuous environmental education for employees.

For more than 10 years, all of the Corporation's production facilities have operated an environmental management system developed in line with the ISO series of international standards. Certification helps the companies improve the processes that minimise risks to the environment, personnel and other stakeholders who may be exposed to hazards associated with production activities, and fulfil their environmental safety commitments more effectively.

In addition to the environmental management system, the Corporation successfully operates a quality management system (ISO 9001), an occupational health and safety management system (ISO 45001) and an energy management system (ISO/CD 50001).

Cross-audits are held twice a year to develop common approaches and share environmental protection experience among the Corporation's companies.

To improve environmental safety at the production facilities of JSC "CAEPCO", individual roadmaps for the introduction of best available techniques (BAT) have been developed and agreed with the authorised body. BAT are expected to be introduced between 2027 and 2040.

Minimising emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere is an important aspect of the Corporation's environmental activities. The greatest contribution to reducing emissions comes from replacing outdated generating facilities with low energy and environmental efficiency with new capacity that meets modern environmental requirements.

From 2009 to 2024, pollutant emissions into the atmosphere from the group's generating facilities fell by 46.4% (from 110.4 thousand tonnes to 59.2 thousand tonnes, including other emissions). The main drivers were the installation of emulsifiers to remove coal ash from flue gases, the introduction of primary methods for suppressing nitrogen oxides, energy-saving programme measures and equipment reconstruction.

The generating facilities are gradually upgrading their installed second-generation battery emulsifiers to third-generation emulsifiers with a flue gas cleaning efficiency of 99.6%. The upgrade involves installing a second tier of vane units in the cells of the existing swirler block, so that flue gases are cleaned twice within a single swirler. This measure has reduced total annual coal ash emissions from 48 thousand tonnes to 11 thousand tonnes per year.

In 2023–2025, new chimneys were built at Pavlodar CHP-3 and Petropavlovsk CHP-2.

In 2024–2025, an automated emissions monitoring system was installed and commissioned on the stations' existing and newly built chimneys. The system tracks emissions from the main stationary sources around the clock and transmits the data to the state information system in real time.

Water is an integral part of the stations' production processes and plays a key role in cooling equipment. The generating facilities of the JSC "CAEPCO" group use recirculating process water systems with a cooling pond and cooling towers. Lake B. Beloye, which discharges into the Ishim River, serves as the cooling pond. The wastewater outlet is equipped with an automated emissions monitoring system.

The stations also have drinking water supply, storm water and municipal sewerage systems. Water for household, drinking and firefighting needs, as well as wastewater disposal, is provided centrally through municipal water supply and sewerage networks under contracts with local water utilities.

All water used by the companies of the JSC "CAEPCO" group is fresh water. No sensitive water sources are used.

The stations' production and business activities generate two types of wastewater:

"Industrial effluents" (over 99% of total wastewater) consist of water from the hydraulic ash removal system and water used to cool the stations' technical units and machinery; after treatment and settling, these effluents are returned to the production cycle.

"Domestic sewage" (less than 1% of the total) is household wastewater collected from administrative buildings, canteens and other service premises and discharged to municipal treatment facilities.

To protect water resources, the companies of the JSC "CAEPCO" group implement a set of key measures. These include improving the quality of discharged water, upgrading treatment facilities (including regular cleaning of the permanent "Rubezh 45" booms) and dredging Lake Beloye.

Ash and slag account for 99% of all waste generated at the stations. Ash and slag waste is stored in specially equipped lowland-type hydraulic structures — ash dumps. Compliance with the environmental legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan when creating new ash and slag storage capacity prevents environmental pollution by ash and slag waste and ensures the stable operation of the stations.

New ash dump sections are built with the latest anti-seepage screen technology in the dump bed — a Canadian polysynthetic geomembrane. This special film provides 100% waterproofing. It is a reliable and durable anti-seepage screen that protects soil and groundwater from contamination by chemical components contained in the clarified water of the recirculating hydraulic ash removal system.

The rest of the waste generated at the stations is industrial and municipal waste; it is sorted during collection and handed over to specialised organisations for further recycling and/or disposal.