TotalEnergies has taken the Final Investment Decision and secured project financing for the Mirny onshore wind and Battery Energy Storage System project in Kazakhstan, marking the start of construction on one of the country’s largest renewable energy developments to date.
The Mirny project combines 1 GW of onshore wind capacity across 150 turbines with a 600 MWh battery energy storage system, at a total investment of $1.2 billion, with approximately 75% externally financed. The electricity produced will be sold to the Government of Kazakhstan under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement signed in 2023, with full capacity targeted for 2029.
Mirny Wind and BESS — Project Background
The Mirny project is located in the southeast of Kazakhstan and represents the country’s first grid-scale battery storage system. Over its 25-year operating life, the project is expected to generate 100 TWh of renewable electricity, sufficient to supply approximately 1 million people in Kazakhstan.
TotalEnergies holds a 60% interest in the Mirny project, alongside Kazakh partners Samruk Energy (20%) and KazMunayGas (20%). The 600 MWh BESS component will be supplied by Saft, a wholly owned affiliate of TotalEnergies specialising in battery technology.
Project Financing and Common Terms Agreement
Alongside the FID, TotalEnergies and its partners signed a Common Terms Agreement with an international lending consortium, securing the project financing framework. The confirmed lending consortium comprises:
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
- Proparco
- Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK)
- DEG
- Societe Generale
- QNB Group
- China Construction Bank
- Standard Chartered
Key confirmed project details:
- Total investment: $1.2 billion
- External financing: approximately 75%
- Capacity: 1 GW onshore wind (150 turbines) and 600 MWh BESS
- BESS supplier: Saft (TotalEnergies affiliate)
- Ownership: TotalEnergies 60%, Samruk Energy 20%, KazMunayGas 20%
- Offtake: 25-year PPA with the Government of Kazakhstan (signed 2023)
- Full capacity target: 2029
- Location: Southeast Kazakhstan
Olivier Jouny, SVP Renewables at TotalEnergies, said:
“We are delighted to launch one of Kazakhstan’s largest renewable energy initiatives to date, thereby contributing to the country’s target of increasing the share of renewables in electricity generation to 15% by 2030. We look forward to advancing construction of the Mirny project alongside our partners and in cooperation with the Kazakhstani authorities.”
Mirny Delivery Profile — Construction and Contract Implications
The Mirny FID triggers the transition from development into active construction procurement, with supply and construction contracts now operative under the Common Terms Agreement framework. On a project of this scale and complexity, the critical delivery interfaces typically sit across wind turbine supply and installation, civil foundations and balance of plant works, transmission connection, battery system integration, and final commissioning.
The inclusion of a 600 MWh BESS alongside 1 GW of wind generation introduces an additional layer of interface coordination. The battery system must be commissioned in sequence with the wind farm to satisfy the grid reliability requirements embedded in the 25-year government PPA. Where commissioning milestones are contractually tied to a government offtake agreement, the commercial consequences of delay move quickly, touching liquidated damages provisions and, potentially, broader construction claims across the supply chain.
The financing structure, with 75% external debt from a multilateral and commercial lending consortium, also means that lenders will have step-in rights and technical monitoring requirements that add a further layer of delivery governance throughout construction.
Kazakhstan and the Central Asian Renewable Energy Market
The Mirny FID is significant beyond the project itself. Kazakhstan has set a target of increasing the share of renewables in electricity generation to 15% by 2030, against a current baseline heavily dominated by coal and gas.
A 1 GW wind project with integrated grid-scale storage, backed by a government PPA and international multilateral financing, represents a structural step change in the country’s energy transition trajectory.
The project also forms part of a broader 9 GW renewables portfolio that TotalEnergies is developing jointly with Masdar through a 50/50 joint venture across nine Asian countries, including Kazakhstan. That regional context matters for market participants:
Central Asia is emerging as a credible pipeline for large-scale renewable investment, with multilateral development bank financing frameworks increasingly available to underwrite the project risk that has historically deterred private capital.
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