A new step into the future: French Center at Satbayev University has opened new horizons for engineering education and green energy

The official opening ceremony of French Center, created as part of international educational and cultural cooperation growth, took place at Satbayev University. The ceremony was attended by University’s Rector Meiram Begentayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France in RK, Mr. Sylvain Gioguet, and CEO of TotalEnergies Renouvelables, Thierry Plaisant.

During the ceremony, University’s Rector Meiram Begentayev emphasized the importance of cooperation with French partners and announced the launch of a joint double degree program between Satbayev University and Université de Lorraine in "Maintenance and operation of wind turbines" field.

"Together with you, we are already taking a new step into the future," said Rector. "French Satbayev University Center is a new bridge between Kazakhstan and France, which opens up access for our students to leading engineering schools and research centers in France. "Maintenance and operation of wind turbines" is not just a new specialty, it is a step into the sustainable tomorrow!"

The new degree program will be implemented by order of TotalEnergies Renouvelables and is focused on training the engineers for the green energy industry. Starting from 2027, Satbayev University will begin to train up to 14 students annually, who will study in Almaty for the first 3 years, 4^th year at University of Lorraine campus in Metz with the internship at TotalEnergies energy enterprises. Upon completion of the training, the engineers will be employed by TotalEnergies to service the wind turbines of Kazakhstan's largest “Mirny” wind power plant, which is capable of meeting the energy needs of about 1 million Kazakhstanis, including those from isolated rural areas.

Within the visit of the French delegation to Satbayev University, there was held a working meeting of University's management with the French side representatives, during which key areas of future partnership were discussed, including plans to expand cooperation with the leading French engineering school Grenoble INP Phelma. This expansion of work will be an important step in a long-term energy transition strategy focused on environmentally friendly energy production methods.

French Center will become a stable platform for evolving the academic exchange, joint research and training of highly qualified international engineering personnel, forming the basis for long-term Kazakh-French cooperation in sustainable energy and technological innovation sphere.