Wednesday, january 17, 2017 inside nation healthcare minister reports on new infrastructure development plan A2

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2017

NATION&CAPITAL

COUNTRY

B4

East Kazakhstan region Akim (Governor) Daniyal Akhmetov (C) is shown visiting one of the region’s medical facilities. 

Mangistau region 

intends to boost 

energy efficiency

By Zhanna Shayakhmetova

ASTANA – Construction of 

wind and solar power plants is 

underway in an effort to develop 

renewable energy sources in the 

Mangistau region in 2018, ac-

cording to the regional press ser-

vice.

Two  facilities,  a  five-megawatt 

wind farm in Akshukur village 

of the Tupkaragan district and a 

seven-megawatt solar power plant 

in Batyr village of the Munaily 

district, will be completed in the 

first quarter. A 12-megawatt solar 

power plant in Shetpe village is 

expected to launch by the end of 

the year.

“A desalination plant with a 

capacity of 50,000 cubic metres 

per day will be built using the 

technology of the world’s lead-

ing companies to provide a water 

supply to the region. The Caspian 

desalination plant will be entering 

the second stage of modernisation 

to increase productivity by 20,000 

cubic metres per day and bring the 

total capacity to 40,000 cubic me-

tres per day,” said energy and utili-

ties department head Sapar Aman-

bekov at a Dec. 26 meeting.

Four energy and two water sup-

ply projects are expected to be 

implemented from the list of 105 

projects presented at EXPO 2017 

and approved by the Ministry of 

Energy.

A 250-megawatt combined 

cycle gas turbine unit will be 

launched at the site of the for-

mer Aktau nuclear power plant 

as part of the public-private part-

nership. The unit aims to cover 

electricity demand and increase 

the reliability of the energy sup-

ply at the central heating and 

power plant if a high load growth 

scenario occurs. The competition 

was announced to attract private 

investors.

Total utility bill debts in the re-

gion decreased from 2.1 billion to 

1.6 billion tenge (US$6.3 million – 

$5 million) compared to the same 

period last year. Local executive 

bodies have recommended moni-

toring heating system functions 

in residential buildings and taking 

appropriate measures to ensure 

timely payment of debts.

Mangistau, better known for its 

vast oil and gas onshore and off-

shore reserves, is ranked second 

in the local Ease of Doing Busi-

ness list. The 204 projects worth 

more 11 billion tenge (US$33 mil-

lion) were subsidised as part of the 

Business Road Map. The number 

is 1.3 times more than last year’s 

figure and nearly 1,400 jobs were 

created.

The 47,000 small and medium 

businesses showed a growth of 

107 percent year on year. The en-

terprises employ approximately 

112,000 people, 103.2 percent 

more than last year.

Country’s first robot surgery, transplantology 

centre to open in Ust-Kamenogorsk in 2018

By Zhanna Shayakhmetova

ASTANA  –  Kazakhstan’s  first 

robot surgery and transplantology 

centre will open in the first quar-

ter of 2018 in Ust-Kamenogorsk. 

The centre is being paid for by the 

national government, according to 

the regional government’s press 

service.

The centre will offer endoscopic 

interventions and low-traumatic 

and minimally invasive treatments. 

The unique facility is located at the 

city hospital. More than 60 surger-

ies are carried out annually in the 

region and 2,000 of them are con-

ducted at the hospital.

The centre intends to serve up 

to 500 patients annually. Surgical 

simulation training rooms will be 

also opened for students.

“It is necessary to purchase 

equipment that will promote qual-

ity treatment of patients. All the 

infrastructure needs to be devel-

oped properly too,” said East Ka-

zakhstan region Akim (Governor) 

Daniyal Akhmetov.

Medical equipment was pur-

chased as part of the moderni-

sation of medical organisations. 

Surgery can be performed with 

the help of robotics. A low-trau-

matic method of treatment and 

minimal pain after surgery are 

the main advantages of this kind 

of surgery.

“It is necessary to use warm col-

ours in interior design so that the 

building will be cosy and comfort-

able for visitors,” the head of the 

region noted.

The centre’s medical person-

nel took part in the training courses 

in Germany and Italy. Last year, a 

group  of  specialists  in  the  field  of 

motherhood and childhood, cardiol-

ogy and oncology studied in the U.K.

“Study  abroad  is  only  the  first 

step of our development. We 

should invite the best practicing 

specialists to train our doctors here 

in the future. Our medicine should 

introduce new methods in treat-

ment and develop successfully,” 

he said.

A stroke unit is also planned to 

open at the centre. Trauma, com-

plex care and rehabilitation beds 

and silent access wheelchairs are 

already provided.

Internet service providers: parents can 

control children’s Internet access

Staff Report

ASTANA – The Internet opens 

wide possibilities for children, 

however, free access to all web-

sites can pose hazards. While it 

is technically impossible to make 

sure a child surfs the web safely, 

Internet service providers can 

block access to sites at the re-

quest of parents, said Vice Min-

ister of Information and Commu-

nications Alan Azhibayev during 

the discussion of the draft law 

protecting children from harmful 

information.

“In April 2016, domestic and 

foreign media reported that the 

European Parliament intended to 

set age limits this year for social 

media use. This initiative is impor-

tant for Kazakhstan as well. Parlia-

ment members offered to apply a 

similar norm in Kazakhstan. This 

initiative was backed by represent-

atives of IT companies, including 

Kaspersky Lab,” said Mazhilis 

(lower chamber of Parliament) 

member Kenes Absatirov.

He added the government pro-

vided  an  official  response  to 

Mazhilis members on July 1, 2016 

and assigned the Ministry of In-

formation and Communications to 

study the question.

“One and a-half years have al-

ready passed. Is it possible, given 

the high social price paid by chil-

dren involved in suicide sites, be-

ing raped by ‘acquaintances’ from 

social  networks  and  so  on,  to  fi-

nally ensure control over access to 

social networks for children under 

16 in the draft law?” he asked.

Although Azhibayev indicated 

it is not yet technically possible 

to ensure a safe Internet, he noted 

parents can contact telecommuni-

cation operators and restrict ac-

cess on children’s computers and 

devices. The corresponding agree-

ment would be concluded with the 

operator.

“Each parent can apply to the 

operator and ask to connect the 

safe Internet to the gadget, where 

they will have access to certain 

sites. Thus, each parent can show 

social responsibility and limit In-

ternet access for their children, 

particularly access to social net-

works. This is the way out and we 

are working in this direction,” he 

said.

Mazhilis Speaker Nurlan Nig-

matulin noted the ministry should 

conduct wide information work in 

this direction.

“Responsibility should be 

mutual and parents should be 

responsible, not just letting chil-

dren into society with pockets 

filled with telephones and gadg-

ets. There is a need to bring this 

information to the whole soci-

ety to ensure that parents and 

the public know how to protect 

children with the help of those 

opportunities which we have,” 

he said.

Kazakh motor 

pool is aging

Staff Report

ASTANA – Kazakh vehicles are 

aging, with the largest share more than 

20 years old, according to the 2017 re-

port on vehicle registration dynamics.

Two thirds (66 percent) of ve-

hicles re-registered last year were 

more than 10 years old, while the 

largest share of registered vehicles 

(36.2 percent or 398,152 units) is 

more than 20 years old. Vehicles in 

the middle, from 11-20 years, rep-

resent 29.4 percent (324,023 units).

By contract, the share of eight-10-

year-old vehicles is 9 percent; four-

seven years, 16.6 percent. Only 7.6 

percent of vehicles in the country 

are one-three years old. The num-

ber of new vehicles (less than one 

year old) is just 1.1 percent, accord-

ing to KazAvtoProm, the nation’s 

automobile industry union.

The  figures  indicate  further  aging 

of the domestic fleet. The share of re-

sale vehicles older than 20 years in the 

secondary market increased from 31.5 

percent to 36.2 percent, while the share 

of those less than a year old decreased 

from 2.7 percent to 1.1 percent.

Police registered 1,170,584 ve-

hicles from January-December, 

19.2 percent more than 2016, ac-

cording to KazAvtoProm. Of these, 

1,100,684 units accounted for sec-

ondary registration, 19.6 percent 

higher than the 920,654 units the 

previous year. Primary registered 

vehicles totaled 69,900 units, 13.7 

percent higher than the 2016 figure.

The aging trend is based on several 

factors, including the consequences of 

national currency devaluation. Despite 

the fact the devaluation occurred sev-

eral years ago, Kazakh citizens are not 

yet accustomed to prices for new vehi-

cles, which have almost doubled and 

sound quite high. Another factor is the 

utilisation and registration fee, which 

made every new car 1 million tenge 

(US$3,000) more expensive than it 

was approximately one year ago.

Due to severe climate conditions 

and the poor quality of roads in the 

remote regions, many Kazakh citi-

zens prefer big cars with four-wheel 

drive. Such vehicles, however, have 

high price tags. At the same time, 

they don’t trust up-to-date turbo en-

gines, computerised transmissions 

and CVTs (continuously variable 

transmissions) and prefer to buy 

used, time-tested models.

Wireless service providers to be prevented 

from imposing unnecessary services

Staff Report

ASTANA – The Kazakh Min-

istry of Information and Com-

munications recently announced 

plans to change the rules regulat-

ing telecommunication services to 

prevent wireless communications 

services from imposing unneces-

sary services for users.

“The ministry is making 

changes in the rules. We believe 

that the amendments are de-

signed to solve many problems 

that cellular communication sub-

scribers have faced for a long 

time. For example, the new rules 

do not allow mobile network op-

erators to render services in the 

absence of funds on the balance 

sheet, in particular it concerns 

roaming services. We will pre-

vent operators from activities 

with the negative cash balance,” 

said Minister of Information and 

Communications Dauren Abayev 

in a post on Facebook Jan. 9.

According to the minister, a beep 

signal when dialling to the num-

bers transferred from one network 

to another will also be eliminated. 

Installation of additional acoustic 

signals and pauses before the call 

signal is now available only at the 

request of the subscriber.

“We also introduce a USSD 

command or sending SMS to 

solve the issue of imposing ad-

ditional communication services. 

Accidentally pressing the keypad 

while the phone is not in use, ac-

cidentally sending a message or 

other actions will not result in the 

connection of undesirable servic-

es,” he said.

The full version of the docu-

ment will be published in the me-

dia soon and the regulation will 

enter into force within 10 days 

after that.

“The mobile operators will have 

to introduce a single customer ser-

vice and help desk number with 

the introduction of the rules. The 

contact number is 116 now. Re-

striction on the distribution of 

advertisements at night, except 

for information on emergencies 

will be introduced. The measures 

will not entail additional financial 

burdens for operators, and tariff 

increases are not expected,” said 

Tariff Analysis and Tariff Regu-

lation Department Head Timur 

Bailov.

Photo cr

edit: Inform.kz.

Nazarbayev University graduates develop 

device to lower cost of electricity delivery

By Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA – Nazarbayev Uni-

versity graduates have developed 

a device to extend the working 

capacity of transformers, the press 

service of the city administration 

reported recently.

The project, named Remote 

Monitoring of Transformers, im-

plies a cloud system with registered 

algorithms on the servers. Accord-

ing to manager and member of the 

start-up team Adlet Zaurenbek, data 

from transformers will be collected 

and processed. The data will be 

used  to  increase  the  efficiency  of 

transformers and their life cycle.

The team of young scientists be-

lieve this invention will help moni-

tor, identify and eliminate prob-

lems in the work of transformers.

“The transformer is the same 

machine that eventually breaks 

down. If the problem is not detect-

ed in time, it will eventually lead 

to breakdown. The faster the de-

vice is repaired, the cheaper it will 

cost.  The  efficiency  will  increase 

many times, and it will save a lot 

of money,” he explained.

The cost of the transformer 

reaches several hundred thousand 

dollars. Large power plants own a 

huge number of such devices.

“For example, Astana – Re-

gional Electric Grid Company has 

about 100,000 transformers, the 

cost of each is almost $150,000. 

If they increase their life cycle by 

five  years,  this  will  save  billions. 

In the future, our system will act 

as  artificial  intelligence,”  Zauren-

bek said.

The invention underwent test-

ing experimentally: it figured out 

a breakdown and automatically 

reported this. “In the course of 

the experiment, after eight hours 

and 35 minutes with an error of 

five minutes, the transformer 

burned down, and our experi-

ence was successful,” Zaurenbek 

said.

According to him, the research 

is  applied  at  the  first  stage  in  the 

laboratory. The team plans to use 

the equipment on real transform-

ers.

The young team worked on the 

project for more than a year. The 

launch of the device is scheduled 

for the summer of 2018.

Snow turns dark in Temirtau, 

working group investigates

By Assel Satubaldina

ASTANA  –  Kazakh  officials 

are investigating after the snow 

in Temirtau city in the Karaganda 

region recently turned dark from 

what is believed to be emissions 

from the city’s numerous industrial 

factories. Residents also reported a 

specific  smell  across  the  city  that 

feels particularly strong at night 

and weekends.

City residents blame the Arce-

lorMittal plant, part of ArcelorMit-

tal Group and a major mining and 

metallurgy enterprise in Kazakh-

stan.

The working group consisting of 

representatives of the city and re-

gional administration, prosecutor’s 

office, environmental experts, nat-

ural resources department special-

ists and representatives of indus-

tries, has been set up to investigate 

the reasons behind an environmen-

tal phenomenon.

Head of the regional Ecology 

Department Alibek Bekmukha-

metov said the ArcelorMittal plant 

was found to have excessive emis-

sions but that the broader inves-

tigation into the darkening of the 

snow continues.

“The department conducted an 

inspection at the ArcelorMittal 

Temirtau and the results showed 

the amount of emissions exceeded 

the limits. They also failed to fulfil 

the plan of environmental protec-

tion measures. With these viola-

tions in place, the enterprise incurs 

an administrative liability totalling 

105 million tenge (US$317,100) 

and will also have to pay 495 mil-

lion tenge (US$1.49 million) for 

the environmental damage. The 

warrant was issued obliging it to 

rectify the violations,” noted Bek-

mukhametov.

ArcelorMittal representatives 

said the company has pledged 

$56.4 million to improve its 

cleansing equipment in 2017, 2018 

and 2019 and that a final solution 

is a “long-term project.”

The Karaganda regional admin-

istration requested in April 2017 

an inspection of the region’s major 

enterprises and biggest suspected 

air polluters – the ArcelorMittal 

Temirtau, Bassel Group coal-fired 

thermal power station and Temir-

tau electrometallurgical plant.

---