Kazakhstan has huge potential for solar energy development. It records 200 to 250 sunny days per year (and up to 300 in the south-east), and radiant solar energy is estimated to reach an annual 800--1,300kW/sq. m.

"Using solar energy for home-heating purposes is possible anywhere in Kazakhstan, whereas large solar stations can best be located in southern regions and near the Aral Sea," Rakhimov said, adding that aggregate fuel savings through the use of solar energy are compatible with the output of a medium-capacity coal mine.

The 2MW station will be the country's first solar energy project of commercial importance. It’s scheduled to start operating in 2013.

"It's Kazakhstan's first-ever major solar power station involving such efficient elements as photoelectric panels made of single-crystalline silicon, which are capable of converting solar energy to electricity with minimal losses," Samruk-Energo spokesman Oral Karpishev said.

The solar station will partially satisfy Almaty Oblast's growing power demand.