BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 14. Kazakhstan
plans to increase annual oil refining volumes from 18 million to 39
million tons by 2040, according to the Ministry of Energy.
Nazym Bekbatyrova, head of the Oil Refining and Petroleum
Products Production Department at the Ministry of Energy, presented
the main provisions of the approved Concept for the Development of
the Oil Refining Industry for 2025–2040 at the 13th Downstream
Central Asia & Caspian Summit 2026 in Astana
.
“The implementation of the measures envisaged by the Concept
will increase oil refining volumes from 18 million to 39 million
tons per year, while the ratio of oil production to refining will
decrease from 5:1 to 2.5:1,” the ministry said.
The concept provides for the modernization and expansion of oil
refining capacity, increasing the depth of oil refining, improving
the quality of petroleum products and developing petrochemical
production. The required investment is estimated at $15–19
billion.
According to the ministry, by 2040, Kazakhstan plans to increase
the depth of oil refining from 89% to 94% and raise the quality of
motor fuels to the K5+ environmental class. The country also plans
to increase the production of benzene and paraxylene.
The concept identifies six main areas, including supplying the
domestic economy with petroleum products, increasing petrochemical
output, developing applied research, strengthening human resources,
adapting the industry to technological trends and expanding export
opportunities.
The implementation of the concept is also expected to create new
jobs and strengthen the industry's technological and scientific
base, according to the ministry.
