The oil refinery (ORP) of JSC "Kondensat" in the West Kazakhstan Region (WKR) has agreed to process Russian oil. Up to 30% of the petrol and diesel fuel produced will remain in Kazakhstan, with the remainder being sent to Russia.
HOW THE PRODUCED FUEL WILL BE DISTRIBUTED
According to Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov, the ministry has received an official request from the Russian Ministry of Energy to load the plant with Russian oil.
The Minister stated that up to 30% of the sought-after petroleum products — petrol and diesel fuel — will remain in Kazakhstan. Around 70% of the output is planned to be sent to Russia.
WHY THE "KONDENSAT" PLANT WAS CHOSEN
The JSC "Kondensat" refinery is located in the WKR near the Karachaganak field. The facility was built to process gas condensate extracted there and to supply the region with petrol and diesel fuel.
After the field came under the management of a consortium of foreign companies, the parties failed to agree on the price of raw materials, and the plant remained idle for a long time. In 2017, the facility increased its capacity from 650,000 to 850,000 tonnes per year.
In 2024, the plant agreed on raw material supplies with Taneco, a subsidiary of Tatneft.
WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT SANCTIONS RISKS
Journalists also asked Yerlan Akkenzhenov about potential sanctions risks associated with processing Russian oil at the Kazakhstani facility.
The Minister stated that he sees no obstacles to this arrangement. According to him, the company is not on sanctions lists. Akkenzhenov also said that, to his knowledge, 50% of the enterprise is owned by a Russian company.
CONTEXT
According to Reuters, citing industry sources, Russia is considering the possibility of importing around 50 thousand tonnes of AI-92 petrol from Kazakhstan amid a reduction in its own fuel production. This option is being discussed as one of the measures to alleviate fuel shortages on the domestic market.
At the same time, Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov previously stated that Kazakhstan had not received an official request from the Russian side regarding petrol supplies.
In addition, Kyrgyzstan has also officially approached Kazakhstan with a request to consider the possibility of supplying fuels and lubricants. According to Kazakhstan's Vice-Minister of Energy, Kaiyrkhan Tutkyshbaev, the request is under review, and a decision will be made taking into account Kazakhstan's national interests.
Earlier, Mongolia also requested fuel from Kazakhstan amid shortages in Russia. The country's authorities are in talks with Kazakhstan and Belarus, while simultaneously expanding fuel purchases from other states.
