OREANDA-NEWS. On 04 June 2009 Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company KEGOC officially informed the public with intent to clarify the situation with route alignment of high-voltage lines of the Moinak Electricity Transmission Project.

At the present time the company has an order placed with specialized organizations to examine all possible variants of 220 kV OHTL route alignment. Taking into account that the specified works have not been completed yet and thus KEGOC does not have accurate information about the proposed routes, the company considers statements of some ecological social associations unjustified and preconceived as there is no matter of dispute.

Selection of the route of high-voltage lines will be made in strict compliance with legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For the sake of high repute, KEGOC guarantees that all necessary information on the project of high-voltage lines alignment will be made available to the public.

KEGOC believes that spreading of unreliable and improper information through public performance and appealing to the different organizations and officials using mass media, is intended to undermine the business repute, thus allowing to lay a claim in a court of law for official contradiction to and compensation of losses from such information.

Further, if spreading of the false facts continues, KEGOC reserves the right to bring the responsible to justice as established by the law.

KEGOC in its operating activities complies with environmental laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan and corresponds to the best international standards.

Standard&Poor’s in January 2009 assigned KEGOC with a corporate governance score (CGS) at level 5 on ten-point scale. In 2008 the company has certified integrated management system in accordance with requirements of standards ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004 and specification OHSAS 18001:1999.

Reference: Moinak Electricity Transmission Project will ensure power evacuation from constructed Moinak HPP of 300 MW on the Sharyn River in Raimbeksky region of Almaty oblast. Moinak HPP is constructed with the purpose to reduce power and electricity deficit, cover peak power, and provide reliable power supply to customers of Almaty oblast and in South Kazakhstan.

Moinak Electricity Transmission Project consists of two components – construction of OHTL and expansion and reconstruction of substations:

- Extension and reconstruction of 220 kV Shelek SS and 220 kV Saryozek SS and construction of 220 kV outdoor switchyard of Moinak HPP;

- Construction of 220 kV OHTL of Moinak HPP – 220 kV Shelek SS and 220 kV OHTL of Moinak HPP – 220 kV Saryozek SS, 220 kV overhead cross-connection line at Saryozek SS

According to Project Feasibility Study the following is performed and received: environmental expert opinion of Ministry of Environment, state expert opinion of Republican State Enterprise “GosEkspertiza”, sectoral opinion of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, bank’s opinion of Development Bank of Kazakhstan, economic opinion of Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning; the financial opinion of Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan is pending.

Project financing will be made from the borrowed proceeds of IBRD (under sovereign guarantees) and own funds of KEGOC.