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Archive special issue
#3 (159), June 2026
PETROCHEMICALS AND OIL REFININGEditor❜s Note
Key Developments in the Oil and Gas Refining Industry This Spring
This spring brought two important pieces of news from the oil and gas refining industry at once. First, Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov announced the start of work on the project to build a fourth refinery. The parameters of the new plant as he set them out: a capacity of up to 10 mln tons per year, with the potential to become the centre of a petrochemical cluster, and a Samruk-Kazyna subsidiary as the client.
Petrochemicals and Oil Refining
First Results of the Refining Modernisation Program: So Far, More Words Than Deeds
For Kazakhstan’s oil refining industry, last year was the moment when years of talk about the need for modernization finally took concrete form in decisions and documents. The Concept for the Development of the Oil Refining Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2025-2040, approved by the government, set an ambitious trajectory: from expanding capacity and increasing refining depth to developing petrochemicals and training personnel.
War in the Middle East and the Fuel Market of Kazakhstan and Central Asia
Global energy is entering a period in which geopolitical events are once again the key drivers of prices, logistics, and strategic decisions. The escalation in the Middle East at the start of 2026, from attacks on oil and gas infrastructure to the unclear situation surrounding the partial or possibly complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has become one of the most serious challenges to the global supply system in the past decade.
The Petromidia Refinery and the KMGI Group: Modernisation and Growth in a Volatile Market
Against a backdrop of volatile oil markets, shifting price conditions, and rising demands for refining efficiency, the Petromidia refinery in Romania and its owner, the KMG International (KMGI) Group, stand as an example of adaptation and strategic development in Europe's highly competitive downstream market.
How a By-Product is Becoming a Strategic Raw Material
Just twenty years ago, sulphur in Kazakhstan was seen as a burden. At Tengiz, it was stored in the open air, for which Tengizchevroil regularly incurred fines, even as it argued to the state authorities (ultimately with considerable success) that the material was not "environmentally harmful waste" but a commodity. Today, the situation has changed beyond recognition.
Fuel and Transit
Revival of the Silk Road
In southern Kazakhstan, where ancient caravan routes once passed, stands a city long regarded as the heart of the Turkic world. Turkestan is a place people came to for wisdom, strength, and blessing. Today, it is experiencing a “second birth”, largely thanks to the emergence of a modern airport that has connected it with the world and is developing it as a transit hub between Asia and Europe.
Almaty Airport Cements Its Status as Central Asia❜s Leading Aviation Hub
Almaty Airport has long since ceased to be merely the air gateway of the country's largest metropolis. Today, it is a complex, multi-layered transport and logistics hub whose operational efficiency determines Kazakhstan's place on the global transportation map.
Oil Chronicles
Oil Chronicles. March 2026
March
March 1, Nurtaza Ibrashev was appointed General Director of Karazhanbasmunai JSC. Born in 1984, he graduated from the Atyrau Institute of Oil and Gas with a degree in oil and gas field development. He began his career as a driller's assistant. Over the years, he has worked at KazburGas, Parker Drilling, AgipKCO, and NCOC.
Oil Chronicles. April 2026
April
Subsidiaries of China's Sinopec have been selected as EPC contractors for the Butadiene project in the Atyrau region. GPEC (Guangzhou Engineering) won the EPC contract for the butane separation, isobutane dehydrogenation, and butadiene extraction units, and for general plant infrastructure. SNEC (Ningbo Engineering) won the contract for the synthetic rubber units (SBS) and the solution-polymerised styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) units.
Legislation
Prohibition for Employers to Conclude Civil Contracts
On June 8, 2026, amendments to the Labor Code of Kazakhstan enter into force
Lawyers of Synergy Partners would like to point out the most interesting aspects that should be addressed.
The practice of civil contracts is prohibited
Forums
The Caspian Region in Focus: Results of Atyrau Oil&Gas and Atyraubuild 2026 Exhibitions
From April 8 to 10, two major industry exhibitions were held in Atyrau: the 23rd North Caspian Regional Exhibition Atyrau Oil&Gas 2026 and the 23rd North Caspian Regional Construction and Interior Exhibition Atyraubuild 2026, bringing together representatives of the oil and gas, petrochemical, and construction industries.