On December 20, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov held a government meeting on the urgent infrastructure problems of the heat networks, the press office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported to CentralAsia.news.
Focusing on the recent accident in Ekibastuz, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers said this problem has been growing for years.
As a result, the critical depletion of existing heating capacity reserves has come to the fore. This factor is particularly acute against the background of dynamically growing cities and dense buildings and, eventually, the growing number of consumers, Alikhan Smailov noted.
The Prime Minister informed that the large-scale programme of major repair works at of heat networks will start in 2023. The thermal arteries at high risk, which are more than 70 percent worn out, will be replaced at the first stage. These lines are 1,600 kilometres long.
The Prime Minister noted that ever more complex work will be done at the second stage, which envisages replacing 4,000 kilometres of heat networks. This will require significant efforts and huge investments, Alikhan Smailov concluded.