On 30th May 08 Kazakhmys completed the acquisition of the Ekibastuz coal-fired power plant, the largest source of power in Kazakhstan and the Maikuben West coal mine which now form Kazakhmys Power combined with existing power plants, the group is now the largest power provider in Kazakhstan.
The Maikuben West coal mine is an open cast mine, situated 160 km to the south western part of Pavlodar City and 110 km from the power plant. Maikuben has an estimated mine life greater than 30 years providing a secure base of raw material supply with current output of 3.4 million tonnes of coal.
The coal mined is supplied to Ekibastuz as well as other heat and power stations, industrial enterprises and the domestic sector in Kazakhstan and other countries.
The coal mined is brown and according to its moisture content belongs to 3B group. The current method of extraction of the coal is open cast.
In January 2008 Maikuben was ISO 14001; 2004/OHSAS 18001 certified, which confirms meeting a developed hygiene, safety and environmental management system by international standards.
As well as being the largest power plant in Kazakhstan, Ekibastuz is one of the largest coal power plants in the world. Installed capacity of the plant is 4000 MW, current available capacity is 2,250 MW. The business was ISO 9001:2000 certified in December 2006 and ISO – 14001 in March 2008.
Five of eight blocks are currently operational and between them are capable of producing from 2250 up to 2350 MW.
In 2007 9 434 GWh was produced. Of the electricity produced at the plant around 30 % is supplied to Russia with the remaining being supplied to the Kazakhstan energy market.
With 1885 people at both sites the company plays an active part in contributing to the social and community life in the region. Various social funds have been supported such as children’s funds and development projects for the city infrastructure. Ekibastuz runs a graduate program which provides practical work experience. Each graduate is assigned with a tutor and at the end of the training period has the opportunity to apply for a permanent position within the organisation