ALMATY, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan's oil refining capacity will increase from the current 18.4 million tons to 40 million tons annually by 2033, the Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.
Vice Minister of Energy Kaiyrkhan Tutkyshbayev said the phased expansion of existing refineries by 2030 will help resolve diesel fuel shortages in the Central Asian country.
A fourth refinery with a production capacity of 10 million tons per year is scheduled to be commissioned by 2033, he noted. It is expected to fully meet Kazakhstan's domestic jet fuel demand and enable the export of high-quality petroleum products.
At the Kashagan field, a gas processing plant scheduled to launch in late 2026 is expected to produce 2.5 billion cubic meters of commercial gas, the vice minister said.
In the oil and gas chemical sector, the focus is shifting toward deep processing, with projects to produce polyethylene, butadiene, and urea expected to increase the value of output by up to 20 times compared to raw materials, according to Tutkyshbayev.
In 2026, the construction will continue of an alkylate production plant in the Pavlodar Region, in a bid to ensure full coverage of the domestic demand, Tutkyshbayev added. ■