On January 8, Xinhua News Agency released a special feature article titled “Turgusun Hydropower Station on the ‘Belt and Road’”. The report, which included video and text on the interview with CWE’s employees in Kazakhstan, covered CWE’s Turgusun Hydropower Station in Kazakhstan, the original launching ground of the “Belt and Road” initiative. It hailed the project as “a model of connectivity in trade and infrastructure, thereby closely binding the hearts of the people of China and Kazakhstan.” This marks another significant media appearance for the Turgusun Hydropower Station, following a special report by CCTV’s “Building Dreams in the New Era” program in October 2023.

The Turgusun Hydropower Project, listed under Kazakhstan’s “2015-2019 National Industrial Innovative Development Plan”, is the first major hydropower initiative within the framework of the China-Kazakhstan production capacity cooperation under the “Belt and Road” initiative. It represents CWE’s second hydropower station constructed in Kazakhstan after nearly two decades of market cultivation. The station, which commenced operations in July 2021, has a total installed capacity of 24.9 megawatts and generates an average annual electricity output of 79.8 million kilowatt-hours. Its successful operation has filled nearly half of the electricity deficit in the East Kazakhstan Altai region, effectively alleviating local power shortages, deepening Sino-Kazakh cooperation in renewable energy, and delivering substantial socio-economic benefits.

In addition to producing clean electricity, the Turgusun Hydropower Station reduces carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 72,000 tons annually, contributing to cleaner air and water. The construction of the hydropower station has not only lit up thousands of households but also ignited the dream of green, low-carbon development. During the construction process, CWE’s project team personally witnessed the transformative impact on the lives of local residents, who have tangibly benefitted from the hydropower station. The project has tightly linked Chinese enterprises, Kazakh businesses, and the people of East Kazakhstan, creating a closely related community of shared interests, destiny, and responsibility, and serving as a microcosm of the global community-building efforts propelled by the “Belt and Road” Initiative.

As a Chinese enterprise “going global”, CWE within the CCCC framework is committed to engaging more actively in the high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” with Kazakhstan. This involves advancing policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds. Focusing on its core responsibilities, CWE will continue to deepen cooperation in water resources, electric power, and clean energy sectors, and persistently work to improve public welfare, promote employment, protect the ecological environment, foster community development, and enhance cultural integration, thereby contributing to the construction of a shared Sino-Kazakh destiny.