PETROLEUM. Analytical journal. New projects, fields’ development, production, processing and transportation of oil and gas, presentation of the companies, statistics on the production of hydrocarbons, monitoring of investment legislation.

Oil Chronicles. August 2025

As of August 1, the wholesale ceiling price for liquefied petroleum gas has been set at 59,722 tenge per ton (excluding VAT), representing a 15% increase from the previous rate. Retail prices will rise by 7–10 tenge per litre (9–13%), depending on the region.

The new wholesale price will remain in effect from August 1 through December 31, 2025. The Ministry of Energy expects domestic LPG consumption in Kazakhstan to reach 2.6 mln tons this year, up from 2.4 mln tons the previous year. The government abolished state regulation of wholesale and retail prices for gasoline and diesel, effective February 1, 2025, while maintaining price control over liquefied gas.

Oil Chronicles. May 2025

May 1, following a meeting in Abu Dhabi between Askhat Khassenov, CEO of KazMunayGas, and Mohamed Al Shamsi, General Director of AD Ports Group, it was announced that AD Ports had made the investment decision to build two modern container vessels. The vessel design was developed jointly by KazMunayGas and AD Ports, and its capacity will be a record for the Caspian Sea at up to 780 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit).

Oil Chronicles. July 2025

July 1, Ardak Kassymbek, the son of Makhmud Kassymbekov, who headed the office of the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, resigned from the Board of Directors of KazTransOil JSC. He was first elected a member of the Board of Directors in October 2012, following a decision by the company’s sole shareholder, KazMunayGas JSC. At that time, Ardak worked as Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of KazMunayGas for Economics and Finance. For just under 13 years, Ardak Kassymbek represented the interests of KazMunayGas on the KazTransOil Board of Directors.

Oil Chronicles. April 2025

April Former Chairman of the Management Board of KazMunayGas, Alik Aidarbayev, has been appointed Deputy Director for Offshore Projects at Lukoil Kazakhstan Upstream. In partnership with KazMunayGas, the Russian company Lukoil is beginning development of the offshore fields Kalamkas-Sea, Khazar, and Auezov in the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea.

Oil Chronicles. February 2025

February 2025. February 1, Farhat Abytov stepped down as Executive Director for the Oil and Gas Industry at the KazEnergy Association following his appointment as Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of National Geological Service JSC.

Oil Chronicles. December 2024

The Condensate Refinery, located in the West Kazakhstan region, has received a quota from the Ministry of Energy to export 800 tons of RON 92 gasoline and 7,257 tons of RON 95 gasoline in December, following the absence of such a permit in October-November. At that time, the ministry banned exports because it feared maintenance work at the Atyrau Refinery would lead to fuel shortages in the domestic market.

Oil Chronicles. October 2024

October 1, the demobilization of a drilling rig at the Abay block in the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea was completed. The Abay-1 exploration well, drilled to a depth of 2,500 meters, did not reveal commercial oil reserves.

The KazMunayGas and Eni joint venture, Isatay Operating Company (50/50), is developing the Abay block under a 31-year hydrocarbon exploration and production contract dated July 26, 2019. The contract is divided into a 6-year exploration phase (with a possible 9-year extension for appraisal and pilot production) and a 25-year production phase.

Oil Chronicles. August 2024

August

August 1, Ali Al-Janabi was appointed Senior Vice President and Shell Kazakhstan Country Chair. Before this appointment, Ali was the Chairman of Shell in Iraq, Tunisia, and the UAE. He represented Shell Group to the governments of Iraq and the UAE. He was accountable for the performance of Shell’s Upstream Joint Ventures in Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Tunisia, and the UAE.