In the West Kazakhstan Region, residents of four settlements in the Araltobe and Bulan rural districts could have been left without electricity supply in the middle of winter. The reason was the technical conditions issued by the West Kazakhstan Electric Grid Company LLP to the contractor SK Alash LLP.
According to Uralskweek.kz, the technical conditions provided for planned power outages from 22 to 26 December daily from 9:00 to 17:00. The outages were set to affect residential buildings, social facilities and infrastructure in settlements with a total population of around 2,000 people.
It emerged that a businessman needed to replace power lines of the AC-35 type with AC-70 to connect a gas filling station under construction at the entrance to the district centre. Without carrying out this work, the facility could not be brought into operation.
Deputy of the Syrym District Maslikhat Serik Ziyatov drew attention to the situation. According to him, as a result of implementing these technical conditions, hundreds of families would effectively be without electricity for eight hours a day during a period of persistent frosts.
He reminded that Article 19 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan 'On Electric Power Industry' does not provide for multi-day disconnection of the population from electricity supply based on technical conditions issued to a businessman.
According to the deputy, he sent appeals to consumer protection authorities and the prosecutor's office requesting clarification on whether any regulatory act exists allowing power to be cut off to the population under such conditions, and also why such work was approved specifically during the winter period.
"I spoke with the head of the district electrical networks. He himself did not know that power outages were planned in Bulan and Zhambyl. <...> In my presence, he spoke on the phone with the head of the electrical networks. From their conversation, I understood that there had been no discussion at all about allowing the businessman to switch off the lights for five days from morning to evening. The deputy district akim, Tolepov, is only now planning to contact the region. And from the prosecutor's office, which usually speaks loudly about the law, there is still no response," Ziyatov stated.
The situation caused particular concern against the backdrop of the weather forecast. According to weather forecasters, on 24 December, a sharp cold snap is expected in the Syrym District and the village of Zhympity: during the day down to −14 degrees, at night down to −35 degrees.
Later, the businessman responded to the public outcry and agreed not to interrupt the electricity supply in the aforementioned settlements. The launch of the gas filling station was decided to be postponed to the warm season.