Chinese company to build $270 million waste processing plant in Almaty

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has ordered the cabinet to prepare an investment agreement with Shanghai SUS Environment Co., Ltd., the largest solid waste incinerator supplier and a leading developer of integrated municipal solid waste management in China, within two weeks. Once the document is ready and signed, the company will build a waste processing plant in Almaty, the government said in a statement.

The new plant will be based on waste-to-energy technology, in which household waste is burned to produce electricity. With a capacity to burn 2,000 tons of waste daily and generate up to 60 MW of power, the facility is expected to be commissioned in June 2025.

According to preliminary estimates, the project will cost about $270 million. Furthermore, authorities say it will create 500 jobs, including 100 permanent positions. Chinese investors have promised to prioritize hiring local specialists.

Authorities believe the plant will meet Almaty’s needs for solid waste disposal, increasing the city’s recycling rate to 80% by 2029.

«We’ve been instructed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to increase the volume of municipal waste recycling to 38% across the country by 2029. More than 4.5 million tons of municipal waste are generated in Kazakhstan annually. This is why the construction of a waste recycling plant is such an important project,» Bektenov said.

Shanghai SUS Environment Co. holds a 40% share of China’s waste-to-energy recycling market. Its portfolio includes 84 projects implemented across the globe.