ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF KAZAKHSTAN’S POWER GENERATION SECTOR: AN ANALYTICAL ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT CHALLENGES AND DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

In Kazakhstan’s power industry, the predominance of thermal generation, primarily coal- fired power generation, and the significant role of combined heat and power plants make the energy efficiency of the power generation sector a matter of systemic technical and economic importance. This study examines the energy efficiency of Kazakhstan’s power generation sector as an integrated characteristic of the conversion of fuel and energy resources into electrical and thermal energy. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the relevance of this issue on the basis of fuel and energy balance data, sectoral materials, and scientific publications addressing key indicators and factors of generation efficiency. The methodological framework includes analysis and synthesis, comparative analysis, structural and logical analysis, and a problem-oriented analytical approach applied to official statistical, sectoral, and scientific sources. The study shows that the considerable gap between total primary energy consumption and final energy consumption, together with conversion processes, auxiliary consumption, and losses within the energy system, increases the importance of efficiency assessment in the generation sector. It is also established that energy efficiency should be evaluated through a set of interrelated indicators, including specific fuel consumption, useful energy output, auxiliary consumption, equipment operating modes, reliability, technical condition, and the parameters of the plant thermal scheme. The article concludes that improving energy efficiency requires an integrated approach combining refined techno-economic assessment, optimization of combined heat and power generation modes, reduction of internal plant consumption, technical modernization, and the use of secondary energy.