Utilisation of sunflower husks for production of energy, Kazakhstan

The client is one of the largest vegetable oil producers in Kazakhstan established in 1922. The company invests in modern technologies and equipment to meet the high European standards.

The company decided to reduce its energy consumption by making use of its production waste, namely sunflower husks. It applied to KazSEFF for financing of the investment.

The KazSEFF team performed the energy assessment of production facilities, evaluating the potential of energy savings, financial-technical parameters, risks and environmental aspects of investment.

The project consisted of production equipment modernization and installation of a new husk fired boiler replacing the old mazut fired steam boiler.

The $1.5 million investment allowed the company to reduce its energy consumption by 24,000 MWh per year, resulting in the annual savings of $900,000. The investment will be repaid out of savings already in two years. In the following years, the cash-flow will be company’s net profit. In addition, the company resolved the issue of waste disposal and the corresponding costs. Not to forget that the renewable energy source led to reduction of CO2 emissions by 6,750 tonnes per year, contributing to mitigation of the negative effect of human activity on climate.

This project improved the company’s financial standing and competitiveness. The company can now focus on other development aspects and new goals.

This way, the EBRD through KazSEFF supports implementation of sustainable energy projects by the private sector. Together, the private, residential and public sectors can make a change in the energy consumption patterns and contribute to the environmental protection.

This project was supported by UK EBRD Sustainable Energy Fund, the Japan-Europe Cooperation Fund, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the German Ministry for Environment.