ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 7. Kazakhstan is expanding its oil refining capacity and depth as part of a new long-term strategy, Trend reports via Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy
"Oil refining volumes in Kazakhstan have been steadily growing: from 15.8 million tons in 2020 to 17.9 million tons in 2024. This growth is the result of the Kazakh government’s implementation of a comprehensive plan to reform the petroleum production system during 2022–2023. The plan covered key refineries in the country - Atyrau, Pavlodar, and Shymkent - as well as the petroleum product distribution and circulation system," the information notes.
According to information, Kazakhstan has ensured priority fuel supplies to the agro-industrial sector, strengthened oversight of targeted fuel distribution, imposed restrictions on the export of petroleum products beyond the country and the EAEU, and taken measures to balance wholesale and retail prices. These steps allowed the domestic fuel market to stabilize in 2024: diesel fuel stockpiles doubled from 268,000 to 612,000 tons.
The ministry also noted that, at the strategic level, the Government of Kazakhstan has developed a Concept for the Development of the Oil Refining Industry through 2040.
"The document outlines a phased increase in refining capacity from 18 to 28 million tons of oil by 2032 through the expansion of existing refineries and the Aktau bitumen plant, as well as the construction of a new large-scale refinery with a capacity of 10 million tons during the period from 2030 to 2040," the ministry said.
In total, oil refining is expected to reach 38 million tons per year, and the ratio of oil production to refining will improve from the current 5:1 to 2.8:1, similar to technologically advanced countries such as Saudi Arabia, Canada, Russia, China, the United States, Singapore, and others.
Thus, the country aims to shift from a raw materials-based approach to one focused on deeper hydrocarbon processing.
By 2030, Kazakhstan’s Shymkent refinery's capacity is planned to double from 6 to 12 million tons. Pavlodar will expand in two stages: to 6 million tons in 2026 and 8 million tons in 2032. At the Atyrau Refinery, secondary capacity will grow to 6.7 million tons in 2028.
