ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 31. Fuel reserves in Kazakhstan remain sufficient amid scheduled maintenance at the Shymkent refinery (PetroKazakhstan Oil Products (PKOP), Trend reports citing KazMunayGas (KMG).
Kazakhstan’s fuel market remains stable as PKOP undertakes routine maintenance to restore catalyst activity at its catalytic reforming unit. This procedure, expected to last up to seven days, will not impact supply volumes, with shipments continuing uninterrupted.
Currently, the country’s fuel reserves stand at 354,200 tons of RON-92 gasoline (sufficient for 28 days of supply), 91,800 tons of AI-95 gasoline (25 days), 400,000 tons of diesel fuel (31 days), and 114,900 tons of jet fuel.
Additionally, PKOP has built up supplementary reserves for the duration of the maintenance period, including 24,300 tons of gasoline, comprising 21,200 tons of RON-92 and 3,100 tons of AI-95, along with 4,900 tons of diesel fuel, 5,000 tons of jet fuel, and 700 tons of liquefied petroleum gas.
The Shymkent oil refinery, built in 1985, is the most recent in Kazakhstan. On January 27, 2005, the refinery was officially registered as a legal entity under the name PetroKazakhstan Oil Products. In October of the same year, CNPC International Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, acquired PetroKazakhstan Inc. In 2007, the Shymkent refinery gained a new shareholder, with the national company KazMunayGas acquiring a 50% ownership stake.
The refinery accounts for approximately 30% of the country's total oil products, produced across three refineries. As the only refinery in southern Kazakhstan, it serves the region’s most densely populated area. The Shymkent refinery produces gasoline of the K4 standard, including grades RON-95 and RON-92, K4 standard diesel fuel in grades DT-L, DT-E, and DT-Z; jet fuel TS-1; fuel oil M-100; liquefied gas; and sulfur in a flake form.