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.
