AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) and Kazakhstan Utility Systems LLP (KUS) announced the signing of Ust-Kamenogorsk CHP and Sogra CHP acquisition belonging to AES by KUS company. The transaction was approved by the Committee on Regulation of Natural Monopolies and Protection of Competition under the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Ust-Kamenogorsk CHP is the largest electricity producer in the East Kazakhstan region with its installed electric capacity of 372.5 MW and thermal capacity of 881.7 Gcal/h. 552 people work at the station. The station also supplies heat energy to large industrial enterprises and covers 80% of the city's housing and utilities sector load. The new turbine unit No.12 with the capacity of 120 MW was put into operation in November 2016. This investment project, being one of the largest in the electricity sector of Kazakhstan, is not only increased the station generation capacity, contributing to the energy deficit reduction in East Kazakhstan, but also provided improvement of the regional energy system of reliability and efficiency.

Sogra CHP provides heat and hot water to about 4000 consumers in Novaya Sogra, Raduzhniy, Solnechniy settlements. In addition, Sogra CHP supplies electricity to a number of Ust-Kamenogorsk industrial enterprises. More than 223 highly qualified local specialists work at the station.    As can be seen from the above currently KUS Group is represented in Karaganda city, South Kazakhstan and East Kazakhstan regions. The Company develops and implements its own Development Strategy which meets the state's energy policy. The main factors of KUS development are: modernization of existing assets, construction of new electric networks, expansion of generating and power transmission capacities, as well as implementation of retail companies’ client-oriented approach.

Without taking into account new assets in Ust-Kamenogorsk, there are two CHPPs of Karaganda city in the electric and heat generation division of KUS LLP - CHPP-1 and CHPP-3. Last year at Karaganda CHPP-3, within the framework of the investment program, the new power unit was commissioned, which provided a quarter more electricity and heat. This event gave a new impetus to the economy development of the entire region. The increase in the station capacity made it possible to place new energy-intensive production facilities in Karaganda region. Small and medium businesses received additional energy support. Taking into account the additional input, Karaganda CHPP-3 came to the capacity of 670 MW. For today it is the largest thermal power station of the republic.

As its priority, KUS Group sees the use of innovative solutions at its production facilities, scientific pioneering approach and optimization of energy costs. This applies to all, without exception, subsidiaries that are the members of Kazakhstan Utility Systems Group.