Hill International to deliver project management services for the modernization of the Almaty Combined Heat and Power Plant 2 in Kazakhstan

Hill International, delivering the infrastructure of change, announced today it was selected by JSC Almaty Power Plants, as part of an international consortium together with its local partners, to provide project management services for the modernization of the Almaty Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant. Notably, Hill completed the tender preparation phase in less than four months, and the process itself is now underway.

Initially commissioned in 1980, the Almaty CHP Plant 2 is an operational 510MW coal-fired power project located in Almaty – the largest city of Kazakhstan with a population of about 2 million residents. The CHP-2 is the largest local urban energy source, currently serving more than 64 percent of the population. The project will modernize the existing CHP Plant 2 to use natural gas instead of coal as a primary fuel to reduce CO₂ emissions and improve air quality in the city.

The project is a part of the Green Cities Program of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Almaty. The primary aim of the project is to reduce CO₂ emissions in the city by approximately 3 million tons (a reduction of roughly 56%) and fully avoid air emissions of particulate matter and NOx. The project will help to promote a transition to more sustainable energy sources by addressing priority environmental challenges identified in the draft Almaty Green City Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the biggest stationary source of pollution in Almaty (by at least 3 million tons p/a).

The project will be delivered in phases with the first phase entailing the modernization of a 200 MWe unit. Construction is planned to be carried out in three stages. The entire CHP Plant 2 project is expected to be in complete in 2026.

Hill Vice President and Managing Director, Turkiye, and Eurasia Ibrahim Serdar Gucar, said of the award: “The CHP Plant 2 project continues our legacy of delivering transformative mega-projects in Kazakhstan. We look forward to continuing our work in the country on projects that improve the lives of residents and showcase Kazakhstan’s environmental, cultural, and economic advancement to the world.” Gucar also emphasized the completion of the tender preparation phase in such a short time, adding: “I am very proud that Hill mobilized all required capacity to successfully complete the tender documentation in the limited time given. We have once again showed our agility and responsive attitude by accomplishing this challenging task, without compromising the quality of the work.”

Raouf Ghali, Hill CEO, added: “Infrastructure projects and programs are the backbone of our firm, and the Almaty CHP Plant 2 project is a perfect example of the kind of major energy infrastructure project we excel at managing. I’m excited both to continue Hill’s work in Kazakhstan and to demonstrate our ability to realize a green modernization project like CHP-2 successfully.”