ABB has won an order worth $17 million for the electrification of a gas-based thermal power plant to be built near the Akshabulak oilfield in southern Kazakhstan.The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Owned by Crystal Management Ltd, a private investment company, the project supports the government’s initiative to reduce environmental pollution by using natural gas burn-off to generate cleaner electricity.

ABB will be responsible for the engineering and commissioning of the electrical facilities for the power plant. The scope of the project includes a 110/6-kV substation and turnkey electrical Balance of Plant (eBoP) solution. Key products to be supplied include power and distribution transformers, an Extended Automation System 800xA power-plant control system, and a micro SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) for real-time monitoring. The project is expected to be completed by 2011.

"ABB technologies to be deployed at this plant will help improve energy efficiency and contribute to reducing environmental impact, helping to deliver cleaner power to consumers in the region," said Claudio Facchin, global head of ABB’s substation business, within the company’s Power Systems division. "Energy-efficient generation processes contribute significantly toward optimizing fuel consumption and lowering emissions.”