Saryarqa Steppe Wind Farm (250 MW) and 110 kV Grid Connection
EBRD is considering financing a 250 MW onshore wind farm of around 40 turbines on the Kazakh steppe, with a 30 km power line to the regional grid. The project would provide clean electricity to roughly 200,000 homes. We invite herders, residents, and local organisations to comment on impacts to grazing land, birds, and noise before financing is decided.
The proposed project comprises ~40 wind turbines (250 MW total), internal gravel access roads, a collector substation, and a 30 km 110 kV overhead transmission line. Turbines spread across ~6,000 hectares of semi-arid steppe used for seasonal livestock grazing. Category A under EBRD's Environmental and Social Policy due to potential impacts on migratory birds and raptors, linear grid infrastructure, and pastoral land use. This consultation discloses the draft ESIA for a 60-day public comment period. Feedback will shape the final ESAP, turbine micro-siting, bird and bat monitoring, and land-lease arrangements with pastoral users.
Лойиҳа ҳужжатлари
Жойлашув
Near Aktöbe-Saryarqa village, Akmola Region steppe (fictional)
KZ
Map PlaceholderҲамжамият мурожаатлари (оммавий)
Wind turbines do not last forever. After 25 years, who is responsible for removing them and restoring the steppe? I want to be sure we are not left with rusting towers and concrete foundations on our grazing land when the project ends. Is there a funded decommissioning plan?
Building 40 turbines means many kilometres of new roads across the pasture. These roads change how water drains and can cut across the tracks we use to move animals. Will the roads be open for local use, and will drainage be managed so they do not create gullies in the grazing land?
The nearest turbines are planned only a couple of kilometres from our houses. At night the steppe is completely silent. I am worried about the constant low noise of the blades. Has the noise at the nearest homes been measured and modelled, and what is the limit the project must not exceed?
This stretch of steppe lies on a seasonal flyway for raptors and steppe birds. Turbines can kill birds if poorly sited. We welcome renewable energy but ask for at least one full year of pre-construction bird monitoring, public results, and a commitment to shut down turbines during peak migration if mortality is detected.
Thank you for this important comment. The draft ESIA includes a Biodiversity Action Plan for birds and bats, and the project has committed to a minimum of one year of pre-construction monitoring with publicly disclosed results. The final ESAP will include an adaptive management protocol, including curtailment (temporary shutdown) of specific turbines during peak migration periods if monitoring indicates significant collision risk.