Saryarka Gas Pipeline

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Saryarka Gas Pipeline (also referred to as the Saryarqa Gas Pipeline; Russian: Магистральный газопровод "Сарыарка"; Kazakh: "Сарыарқа") is an operating gas pipeline in Kazakhstan with three additional proposed expansion phases.

Location

The operating pipeline starts in Karaozek, Kyzylorda Region, Kazakhstan, and runs by Zhezkazgan, Temirtau, to Astana (renamed to Nur-Sultan), Kazakhstan. When complete, the gas pipeline will run along the route Kyzylorda - Zhezkazgan - Karaganda - Temirtau - Astana - Kokshetau - Petropavlovsk.

Phase I, Kyzylorda-Zhezkazgan-Karaganda-Astana Gas Pipeline

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Phase II, Astana-Kokshetau Gas Pipeline

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Phase III, Kokshetau-Petropavlovsk Gas Pipeline

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Project details

Phase I, Kyzylorda-Zhezkazgan-Karaganda-Astana Gas Pipeline

• Operator: Intergas Central Asia
• Owner: AstanaGaz KMG JSC
• Parent company: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding
• Capacity: 2.2 bcm/year
• Length: 1,061 km
• Diameter: 820 mm / 32.28 inches
• Status: Operating
• Start year: 2019
• Cost: USD 614.79 million
• Financing: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding, Unified National Pension Fund JSC, Eurasian Development Bank, Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC
• Associated infrastructure: Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent Gas Pipeline

Phase II, Astana-Kokshetau Gas Pipeline

• Operator: Intergas Central Asia
• Owner: AstanaGaz KMG JSC
• Parent company: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding
• Capacity: 2.2 bcm/year
• Length: 298.1 km
• Diameter: 630 mm
• Status: Proposed
• Construction:
• Start year: 2024
• Cost: USD 110.86 million
• Financing: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding, Unified National Pension Fund JSC, Eurasian Development Bank, Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC
• Associated infrastructure:

Phase III, Kokshetau-Petropavlovsk Gas Pipeline

• Operator: Intergas Central Asia
• Owner: AstanaGaz KMG JSC
• Parent company: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding
• Capacity: 2.2 bcm/year
• Length: 184.7 km
• Diameter: 820 mm / 32.28 inches
• Status: Proposed
• Construction:
• Start year: 2024
• Cost: USD 43.47 million
• Financing: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding, Unified National Pension Fund JSC, Eurasian Development Bank, Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC
• Associated infrastructure:

Phase IV, Capacity expansion

• Operator: Intergas Central Asia
• Owner: AstanaGaz KMG JSC
• Parent company: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding
• Capacity: 9-10 bcm/year (additional 6.8-7.8 bcm/year)
• Length: Capacity expansion only
• Status: Proposed
• Construction year: 2028 (planned)
• Start year: 2030
• Cost: USD 81.65 million
• Financing: Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC, Baiterek National Management Holding, Unified National Pension Fund JSC, Eurasian Development Bank, Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC
• Associated infrastructure: Zhezkazgan and Temirtau compressor stations

Background

The project is proposed to be implemented in four phases. According to the feasibility study, the total cost of the project is 370 billion tenge (USD $867.63 million). The gas pipeline route will run along the route Kyzylorda - Zhezkazgan - Karaganda - Temirtau - Astana - Kokshetau-Petropavlovsk.

• Phase I takes place along the route Kyzylorda - Zhezkazgan - Karaganda - Temirtau - Astana, with the length of 1,061.3 km. The cost is reportedly 267.3 billion tenge (US$626.80 million). This section of the gas pipeline will provide gas to the population of the cities of Astana, Karaganda, Temirtau, Zhezkazgan and nearby settlements along the route of the main gas pipeline. The pipeline is connected to the Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent Gas Pipeline at the Karaozek Compressor Station in the area of Kyzylorda.
• Phase II. At the second stage, the construction of the Astana-Kokshetau gas pipeline worth 48.2 billion tenge (US$113.03 million), with a length of 276 km, is envisaged, which will allow gasification of the Akmola region, including Kokshetau and the Shchuchinsko-Borovsk resort zone. In June 2022, the feasibility study for construction of Phases II and III was developed.
• Phase III. At the third stage, it is planned to build the main gas pipeline Kokshetau-Petropavlovsk worth 18.9 billion tenge (US$44.32 million), with a length of 177 km, which will allow gasification of the northern region of the country.
• Phase IV. At the 4th stage, taking into account the projected increase in gas consumption from this gas pipeline, it is planned to build the Zhezkazgan and Temirtau compressor stations worth 35.5 billion tenge (US$83.25 million) to increase the throughput of the main gas pipeline to 3 bcm/year.

The pipeline will be supplied by gas from the oil and gas fields Karachaganak, Tengiz, and Kashagan.

As of November 2020, the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurlan Nogayev stated that construction of Phase II and III of the pipeline was still being planned. In June 2023, it was reported that the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan was evaluating the option of connecting the Saryarka Gas Pipeline with a pipeline in Russia, and Gazprom was undertaking a pre-feasibility study, which was expected to be finalized in July 2023. As of August 2023, there have not been any updates about Phases II, III, and IV of the project.

The Roadmap for Development of Gas Infrastructure of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2015-2030 released in September 2023 mentions that construction of Phases II and III will be completed by 2025. According to the document, the implementation of the first stage of the project envisages a gradual increase in gas transportation and consumption, reaching the full design capacity of up to 25 million cubic meters per day by 2030, which is equivalent to an annual capacity of up to 10 billion cubic meters per year. The maximum throughput capacity of the pipeline, assuming all project decisions are implemented and two compressor stations are built, will be approximately 9-10 billion cubic meters per year.

In December 2023, it was reported that QazaqGaz had initiated corporate procedures to adjust the feasibility study for the construction of the 4th stage of the Saryarka Gas Pipeline. The adjustment includes the construction of two compressor stations to increase the pipeline's capacity from 606,000 cubic meters per hour (5.3 bcm/year) to 801,000 cubic meters per hour (7 bcm/year). Considering tthe fact that the Saryarka Gas Pipeline receives gas from the Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent Gas Pipeline, which was operating at 106% capacity during the winter of 2022-2023, the project's implementation will be possible only after the completion of the construction of the second line of the Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent pipeline. A feasibility study for the construction of the second stage of the Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent pipeline was being developed and was expected to be completed in Q2 2024. The estimated completion date for the construction is the end of 2026. As an alternative, the possibility of connecting the Saryarka pipeline to the Russian gas pipeline was also being considered. Gazprom was developing a preliminary feasibility study for the gasification project of the northeastern regions of the country. After receiving the feasibility study and initial data (gas prices, pipeline routes, etc.), an optimal gasification option will be developed.

Financing

To implement the project, the company AstanaGaz KMG was created. Its shareholders are Samruk-Kazyna SWF JSC (50%) and Baiterek National Management Holding (50%). The financing scheme and conditions were approved by the State Commission for the Modernization of the Economy in August 2018. 80.3 billion tenge (US$188.3 million) was provided through the formation of the authorized capital of the project company AstanaGaz KMG JSC, 85 billion tenge (US$199.3 million) is a bond loan from Unified National Pension Fund JSC and 102 billion tenge (US$239 million) is a bond loan from the Eurasian Development Bank and Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC. The general contractor for the construction is KazStroyService.

Environmental concerns

The pipeline is constructed on the Kazakh Uplands, also known as SaryArka, or "yellow ridge" in Kazakh, a steppe in central Kazakhstan with small hills. On this territory, there are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Korgalzhyn and Naurzum nature reserves. The wetlands of nature reserves may be affected by the construction of the pipeline. This is a resting place for the red-breasted goose and 13 other threatened birds included in the IUCN Red List.