Kazakhstan’s Satbayev University, a technical university located in Almaty, has signed an agreement with the French energy company Total and the University of Lorraine for the launch of an educational program at Satbayev University to train personnel for the Mirny wind energy project in the Zhambyl region.
The document was signed by Samgat Yermekbayev, First Vice-Rector for International Cooperation and Strategic Development at Satbayev University, Annie Dary-Mourot, Director of the Faculty of Technology at the University of Lorraine, and Thierry Plaisant, CEO of TotalEnergies Renewables Kazakhstan.
According to the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education, starting in 2026, Satbayev University will begin training 14 students annually for TotalEnergies Renewables Kazakhstan, which is constructing the 1 GW Mirny wind farm, the largest wind energy project ever initiated in Kazakhstan, which will supply more than 1 million people with low-carbon electricity, including in remote rural areas.
Students will spend the first three years in Almaty and the fourth year at the University of Lorraine’s Metz campus, with on-the-job training at energy companies in France. Upon completion of their studies, they will be employed by TotalEnergies to service wind turbines at the Mirny wind farm.
TotalEnergies and the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan signed the investment agreement for the Mirny project in December 2023. The project aims to build a 1 GW wind farm of up to 160 turbines combined with a 600 MWh battery energy storage system for a reliable power supply with a total investment of about $1.4 billion. TotalEnergies will develop the Mirny project in partnership with Kazakhstan’s National Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna and national oil and gas company KazMunayGas.
