On a winter morning, on the outskirts of the village of Rudnichny, in the Zhetysu region, noise is heard in the frosty silence. This is the Koksu River, which flows from the gorge of the same name. This river amazes even in winter, during low water, with its power, let alone in summer. And it is here, on Koksa, that it is planned to create a cascade of small hydroelectric power stations, and the construction of three of them has already begun. But it was not possible to build them without a scandal. The Kazakh publication Orda.kz tells why athletes, ecologists and even archaeologists do not agree with the construction of a hydroelectric power station at Koksa and where traces of oligarchs flash in these projects:

But there are no hearings

Last week, during a briefing for journalists, Vice Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sungat Yesimkhanov said that seven projects for the construction of hydroelectric power stations with a total capacity of 150 megawatts are planned to be implemented on the Koksu River in the Zhetysu region. They are being created as part of the development of renewable power plants in Kazakhstan.

In the video, Yesimkhanov also mentions the hydroelectric power station, around which a scandal had already broken out last year — local residents opposed its construction. He does not pronounce the name of this hydroelectric power station, but in fact we are talking about two power plants at once — Rudnichnaya HPP-1 and Rudnichnaya HPP-2 with a total capacity of 42 megawatts.

The vice minister said that the controversial issue in Rudnichny had been resolved, and residents were informed that the construction of the power plant would not create any problems. But the official rather wishful thinking. The Orda.kz journalist was personally convinced of this after visiting the Zhetysu region, where opponents of the construction of the hydroelectric power station met with representatives of the company building the station.

Perhaps one of the main opponents of the construction of a hydroelectric power station in Rudnichny can be called the Rafting Federation of Kazakhstan and its president Konstantin O. As he explains, Koksu— is one of those mountain rivers in Kazakhstan that is best suited for rafting. And for both amateur and professional alloys. And it is precisely that section of the river near which hydroelectric power stations are now being built that is especially valuable for rafters.

«Our Koksa River is known to athletes all over the world. And near the hydroelectric power station there is the famous «propeller threshold», which is ideal for slalom. In 2023, it hosted the Asian Rafting Championships. In 2024 there were international training camps and two competitions on a republican scale. This year we have the second and fourth stages of the Kazakhstan Cup planned here. Our Olympic rowing slalom team trains at Cox».

Due to the construction of the hydroelectric power station, part of Koksu will definitely be flooded — according to the plan, this is 207 meters upstream. The head of the Rudnichnye HPP project, Aliy Karabalin, diligently calls this not a reservoir, but a hydroelectric complex. But in any case, the speed of the current in this place will change.

Plus, rafters are sure, due to the fact that up to 40% of the water volume will go into the outlet channel of the hydroelectric power station, and downstream it will also not be possible to fully engage in sports. For at least 12 kilometers between two hydroelectric power plants. Aliy Karabalin responds to this that the volume of water necessary for rafters will be discharged from the hydroelectric complex. And on the flooded site, he said, they are even ready to build a pier. More precisely, not quite them, because LLP «EnergoBuildService», which is building the power plant, is responsible only for construction, and then the facility will be transferred to an operator whose name Karabalin could not name.

In general, according to Karabalin, they fulfilled all the necessary conditions: they passed an environmental assessment and agreed on the cutting down of trees — mainly poplars. Whether they will compensate for the felling with money or planting new trees, at a rate of one to two, is still being decided.

But the builders did not hold the hearings that the deputy minister spoke about.

«We have an object of the third category, which, according to the law, allows us not to hold public hearings, but only to notify local residents», says Aliy Karabalin.

There are also questions about the category number. A representative of the regional ecology department, Zhetysu, who was present at the meeting, explained that the stations received it only for the duration of construction. This caused confusion among opponents of the hydroelectric power station.

«It turns out that while it is being built, it will be of the third category. And when they build it, the category may change? How can this even happen?» — Konstantin O. was indignant.

The athlete, who spoke at the meeting on behalf of environmentalists, also expressed bewilderment that the environmental assessment assessed the harm that the hydroelectric power station would cause directly where it would be located. And the potential harm upstream and downstream of the Koksu River was not assessed.

The builders of the Rudnichny hydroelectric power stations do not have such a document as an archaeological examination. Representatives «EnergoBuildService» explain this by the fact that in 2017, when they collected a package of documents, such an examination was not required. They were sure that there were no archaeological monuments in this place. However, even a quick inspection of the surroundings of the Rudnichnaya HPP-1 under construction by a researcher at the Institute of Archeology named after. Margulana Kairat Zhambulatov showed that there are at least four ancient burial grounds here.

«Now we will announce a tender to hire an organization that deals with archaeological examinations and carry out this procedure», — assured Aliy Karabalin.

Opponents of the construction of a hydroelectric power station in Rudnichny fear that the power plant may not withstand the mudflows that regularly fall on Koksa. Aliy Karabalin responded to this that the hydroelectric power station under construction is capable of withstanding the passage of 180 cubic meters of water per second —according to him, this is the maximum volume of water that has been in Cox since the mid-1950s.

The proposal to change the construction site of the hydroelectric power station also could not be discussed; the project was approved by the Ministry of Energy. And the deadlines, apparently, are running out. According to the plan, the Mine HPPs were supposed to be built by the end of 2024 — now they expect to launch them in 2026.

«If you are dissatisfied with something, you can go to court!» — Aliy Karabalin puts an end to the discussion.

He also did not know that they were going to build not only two hydroelectric power stations in Rudnichny on the Koksu River, but also several other power plants.

The lichen will devour everything

For example, the Verkhne-Talaptinskaya hydroelectric power station located downstream — it has been under construction since 2022, and is planned to be completed in April 2025.

It is located near the village of Talapty. Concrete platinum has already been built here and in general it is clear that the degree of readiness is many times higher.

The Verkhne-Talaptinskaya hydroelectric power station is less powerful than the Rudnichnye hydroelectric power station: the maximum for which it is designed is — seven megawatts. There are also complaints about its construction.

«Due to the construction of the hydroelectric power station, the water temperature will change, this will already affect biodiversity. We have rare species of butterflies, and butterflies are always the first to disappear. Then the bees disappear, and upstream we have a lot of apiaries. There are also fir trees, pheasants, and bustards here —the creation of a hydroelectric power station may also affect them», — the head of the tourist club «Triton» Saltanat Uteshbaeva expresses concerns.

«Here is the Bartogay reservoir. When the Chilik River simply flowed there, there were tugai forests and water meadows up to two kilometers long around it. Now there is a desert there —nothing grows at all!», — adds Almaty teacher Elena Udartseva.

Unfortunately, a dialogue similar to the one near Rudnichnaya HPP-1 did not work out at the Verkhne-Talaptinskaya power plant. A man named Yuri Kim came to talk with social activists and journalists. He introduced himself as a representative of the company «Koksugidrostroy».

According to Yuri Kim, this organization held public hearings in 2022 and received all the necessary documents. The owners of the hydroelectric power station also ordered an archaeological examination; according to it, 15 mounds, two burials, one mazar and eight rock paintings were found at the station construction site.

The information raised doubts. Firstly, the examination was carried out by LLP «Kazarkheology». It was their specialists who studied the Temir hill of the Kyzyltas ridge and gave the company «Temirbeton» a document stating that the petroglyphs there are of no historical value. But in the end, this conclusion led to a months-long confrontation with the participation of builders, social activists and authorities.

Secondly, even a quick inspection of one of the hills in the vicinity of the hydroelectric power station showed that there could be more than eight images there. For example, on the slope there was a rather large-scale scene, presumably from the Bronze Age.

In addition, according to the executive director of the «Petroglyph Hunters» fund, Olga Gumirova, changing the river regime and, as a result, humidity, can lead to the disappearance of petroglyphs:

«If the humidity increases, then lichen can begin to actively grow on the stones, and it literally devours the patina from the stones, thanks to which the patterns are preserved. We fear that after the launch of the hydroelectric power station, archaeologists will not be able to gain access to the rocks, which means they will not be able to conduct research. After all, a hydroelectric power station —this is a strategic facility, and outsiders are not allowed into it».

Yuri Kim responded to this by saying that scientists, if they want to go to the rocks, will be allowed through. But only on foot.

Coffee, Monaco and subsoil

Representatives of both the Rudnichnye HPP and the Verkhne-Talaptinskaya station assure that electricity will be supplied to the unified KEGOC system, as required by law. But there is an opinion that the construction of power plants — is the forerunner of the emergence of mining enterprises on the Koksu River. And these fears become even more justified if you study the founders of companies associated with hydroelectric power stations.

Let’s start with the Rudnichnye HPP. The builder of these stations is listed as EnergoBuildService LLP. This is «a subsidiary of» the private company EnergyBridge Ltd., whose website says that Mine Hydroelectric Power Plants — is one of their projects. At EnergyBridge Ltd. The founders include two individuals and one legal entity. Physical it is:

• Kairat Orazbekov — millionaire, owner of Elitstroy «LLP» and futsal «Kairat», and also the permanent honorary consul of Kazakhstan in Monaco since 2012.
• Alain Baigazin.

Legal entity — is the PowerBridge company, whose founders include the same Baigazin, and the KazMinerals holding.

According to Forbes.kz, although KazMinerals is legally a Dubai company, its president is Kazakh billionaire Vladimir Kim.

However, Aliy Karabalin did not hide the fact that the mine hydroelectric power stations are being built by KazMinerals. According to him, they simply won the auction by offering a minimum tariff. They are built by the hands of the general contractor, Stecol Corporation — «a subsidiary» of the national Chinese construction company Chinapower. At the construction site of mining hydroelectric power stations, some of the personnel — are Chinese citizens. According to Karabalin, this is a condition of the general contractor.

From the Verkhne-Talaptinskaya hydroelectric power station everything is less obvious. The right to build it was won by a certain LLP «Bekzat», which is still listed as his «daughter» on the Baiterek holding website. But open sources report that LLP «Bekzat» no longer exists. And its legal successor — is LLP «Verkhne-Talaptinskaya HPP», the founders of which are five people.

These are entrepreneurs with diversified businesses. Each has from six to 11 legal entities. For example, among them there is even the owner of the Drinkit coffee shop franchise, Aibek Umbetalin.

The first manager and one of the founders of LLP «Verkhne-Talaptinskaya HPP» Asem Zhilkibaeva is related to 11 legal entities. Among other legal entities are Shymkent branches of two insurance companies with the name «Eurasia».

Their parent company is — «Eurasian Financial Group», which is part of the «empire of» Mashkevich-Shodiev and is directly owned by Alexander Mashkevich, Patokh Shodiev and Mukadaskhan Ibragimova.

Until 2024, Mashkevich and Shodiev Sr. were members of the board of directors of ERG — one of the largest mining companies operating in Kazakhstan. At the end of last year, Patokh Shodiev was replaced there by his son — Mashkevich, presumably a distant relative, and ERG was headed by his son Mukadaskhan Ibragimova.

Thus, albeit indirectly, another large mining corporation appeared in the story of the construction of the Koksu hydroelectric power station.

Other points that may also be highlighted include:

• Four of the five founders «of the Verkhne-Talaptinskaya HPP», in addition to the same Asem Zhilkibaeva, are listed as founders of the Zhetysu Pipe Plant created in 2023.

• Almas Zhangasinov — founder of Ast beton group LLP, engaged in the production of ready-mixed concrete.

This group of people can also be called hydroelectric power station specialists. Because, in addition to the Verkhne-Talaptinskaya HPP, they are indicated by the founders of the LLP with the names: «Eskeldinskaya HPP» and «Talaptinskaya HPP», and Almas Zhangasinov and Sergey Tsoi — also LLP «Borohudzir HPP». Very energetic businessmen.

Igor Ulitin (Orda.kz)