BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 23. The implementation of expansion projects at Kazakhstan’s three existing oil refineries will increase their combined processing capacity from 17.5 million to 28.8 million tons per year, Chairman of the Management Board of KazMunayGas (KMG) Askhat Khassenov said at a government meeting in Astana.
According to the press service of the Kazakh government, Khassenov outlined the plans for expanding the capacity of the country’s three major refineries.
“The capacity of the Shymkent Refinery is planned to be increased from 6 million to 12 million tons of oil per year by 2030, while the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant will increase its capacity from 6 million to 9 million tons by 2031. At the Atyrau Refinery, an efficiency improvement project is being implemented, with completion scheduled for 2027 and capacity increasing from 5.5 million to 6.1 million tons,” the government said.
As part of the Shymkent Refinery modernization, the throughput capacity of the Kenkiyak-Atyrau and Kenkiyak-Kumkol main oil pipelines and the Tekesu station will also be expanded. In addition, a Shymkent-Almaty product pipeline with a capacity of up to 3.5 million tons per year is planned to be built.
Kazakhstan plans to increase its total oil refining capacity to 40 million tons per year by 2033. The plans are outlined in the Concept for the Development of the Oil Refining Industry for 2025-2040.
The concept also envisages increasing the depth of oil refining from 89% to 94%, raising motor fuel production and further developing the petrochemical industry. The quality of petroleum products is also planned to be gradually upgraded from the K4 environmental standard to K5+.
Kazakhstan processed 18.3 million tons of oil in 2024, exceeding the planned target by 2.23%, while petroleum product output reached 14.75 million tons.
In 2025, oil refining increased to 18.4 million tons, 4.5% above the plan. Petroleum product production amounted to 15.47 million tons, exceeding the planned target by 6.3%. In 2026, Kazakhstan plans to produce 15.49 million tons of petroleum products.
