India-based solar EPC Sterling and Wilson plans to enter Kazakhstan with a target of constructing 200MW of solar PV projects by 2020.
Under a series of tenders announced by the Kazakhstan government at the start of 2018, the country is expected to receive bids for 180MW of solar this month.
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Last month, Vikas Bansal, head of Business Development, Solar International, at Sterling & Wilson, told PV Tech: “Kazakhstan has shown some signs of movement. That is one market which we think this year will be small – they really want to take a step by step approach which we appreciate but the overall long-term plan seems to be there so that is a market to watch out for. If not this year, next year that market is going to open up for the large-scale investment on the PV side.”
In a release, Bikesh Ogra, CEO, Solar, Sterling and Wilson, said: “Though Kazakhstan has huge oil reserves, growing energy consumption is one of the drivers behind the growth of renewable energy. International Energy Agency has predicted the demand for energy in the country to double up by the year 2035. The Central Asian country’s growing concern of climate change is also one of the factors for the switch to renewables. Sterling and Wilson is exploring all options to support the country in meeting its renewable energy targets.”
The company has a subsidiary company in Kazakhstan with a category I license that would execute the projects.
Sterling and Wilson has a 6.14GW solar EPC portfolio in various geographies including Africa, Middle East, Asia, Australia, Latin America and the USA.
In August, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed off on financing for the construction of a 100MW PV project in the Zhambyl region of Southern Kazakhstan that will be sponsored by Access Infra Central Asia and Total Eren.