Technology
Enhanced Oil Recovery – Addressing the Key Challenge of Kazakhstan❜s Mature Oil Fields. Takeaways from the SPE Almaty Section Technical Seminar
Oil and gas production continues to play a major role in Kazakhstan’s economy — as of 2022, the sector accounted for more than 50% of the country’s total exports and nearly 40% of net investment inflows. Consequently, the development of the oil and gas industry largely determines the strategic trajectory of Kazakhstan’s economic growth.
In 2023, Kazakhstan’s oil production totaled 90 mln tons, of which 60 mln tons — or two-thirds — came from the three giant projects operating under PSA and concession agreements: Kashagan, Karachaganak, and Tengiz. The remaining 30 mln tons, or one-third of the country’s total output, came from other onshore fields, many of which are currently in the late stage of development — the so-called “mature” fields. This stage is characterized by high water cut, while the remaining oil reserves fall into the category of hard-to-recover resources.
Excess water production leads to significant costs for raw material lifting, transportation, treatment, and reinjection, and is also a notable contributor to the ecosystem's carbon footprint. Moreover, the volume of water produced at these fields continues to increase. Without large-scale, systematic interventions, this process will only worsen, leading to a steady decline in both production efficiency and economic performance indicators.
At mature fields, the oil recovery factor (RF) does not exceed 30–35%, whereas in developed countries it has reached 40–60%. According to ENERGY ANALYTICS forecasts, the current annual production of 30 mln tons from mature fields is expected to fall to 10.5 mln tons by 2050. This decline could have severe socio-economic consequences — including reduced budget revenues, a shrinking taxable base in the oil sector, job cuts, rising unemployment, declining regional welfare, and increasing social tension.
Kazakhstan’s oil and gas industry is concentrated in five key regions: Atyrau, Mangystau, Aktobe, West Kazakhstan, and Kyzylorda. For instance, in the Kyzylorda region alone, oil production volumes have fallen almost threefold — by around 65% over the past decade.
Amid today’s industry challenges, the task to enhance reservoir recovery has become more critical than ever. To unite expertise and develop practical solutions, the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Almaty Section, in partnership with KMG Engineering LLP, hosted a Technical Seminar on Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) on October 7–8, 2025, in Almaty.
It brought together over 140 delegates representing 50 companies, including officials from the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the KazMunayGas group of companies, operators of oil fields across the Caspian region (Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and others), research institutes, universities, equipment and chemical manufacturers, as well as technology licensors and global experts in the field of EOR.
The event’s main objective was to identify effective strategies to improve oil recovery from Kazakhstan’s mature fields. Through expert discussions and focused breakout sessions, participants developed key recommendations aimed at promoting the sustainable growth of the national oil and gas industry and enhancing the efficient utilization of the country’s resource potential.
Dr. Rakhim Uteyev, Chair of the Seminar’s Program Committee and CEO of KMG Engineering LLP, in his opening remarks, emphasized that the oil and gas sector remains one of Kazakhstan’s most dynamic and innovation-driven industries, open to the adoption of new technologies and the expansion of scientific and technical collaboration. He noted that events like this seminar strengthen cooperation between experts, research institutions, and operating companies, fostering an environment for knowledge exchange and joint problem-solving.
Welcoming remarks from Kudaibergen Arymbek, Vice Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, emphasized the strategic importance of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies in ensuring the country’s long-term energy security and economic stability. “The oil and gas sector remains one of the key pillars of Kazakhstan’s national economy. Domestic fuel demand is projected to grow by 1.5–2% annually. Despite the large-scale modernization of our refineries — now covering up to 95% of internal consumption — many mature fields are facing declining production and high water cuts, reaching 70–90%. Under these conditions, the implementation of advanced EOR technologies is essential.
Chemical EOR methods, particularly polymer flooding projects implemented at the Kalamkas, East Moldabek, and Uzen fields, have demonstrated clear technical and economic benefits. These technologies play a vital role in maintaining production levels and in achieving Kazakhstan’s strategic goal of surpassing 100 mln tons of annual oil output,” he noted.
The Vice Minister reaffirmed that the Ministry of Energy will continue to support the broader industrial adoption of EOR technologies by improving the regulatory framework and fostering closer cooperation with research institutions, oil companies, and industry partners.
Murat Kurbanbayev, Independent Director of JSC “Ozenmunaigas” says that “EOR technologies are essential for extending the productive life of mature fields such as Uzen and for enhancing the industry’s efficiency and resilience through innovation. Open dialogue between engineers and scientists is the key to transforming new ideas into real, practical solutions for Kazakhstan’s oil and gas sector”.
Anatoly Tegisbayev, General Director of the Republican Public Association “Veterans of the Oil and Gas Industry of Kazakhstan”: ”The future of our industry depends not only on technology but also on preserving professional continuity and mentorship. The Republican Public Association of Veterans of the Oil and Gas Industry of Kazakhstan is committed to passing on accumulated experience, supporting innovation, and ensuring that every new generation of engineers builds upon the foundation laid by their predecessors. Today’s seminar is a vivid example of such unity — where experience guides progress”.
Tolegen Orashev, General Director of the CSTI “SAMGAU” said that “Scientific and technological progress is the foundation of Kazakhstan’s future energy independence. At the Center for Scientific and Technological Initiatives “SAMGAU” (CSTI) we serve as a unified innovation operator for all portfolio companies of the Samruk-Kazyna Fund, transforming scientific research into industrial results.
To date, more than 40 applied projects have been financed with a total value exceeding 10 bln tenge, and the expected economic impact from these initiatives is projected to surpass 200 bln tenge over the next five years. The participation of universities and industry institutes in these projects has increased from 11% to 29%, reflecting a stronger integration of academic science with industry”.
As part of the SPE Almaty Section Technical Seminar on Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), leading experts presented cutting-edge research and field experience addressing key global and regional challenges in polymer and chemical flooding. Their findings were integral to the seminar’s outcomes and technical discussions, providing valuable insights into advancing EOR practices.
Dr. Randall Seright (New Mexico Tech, USA), “Should Mobility Ratio Be Thrown Out the Window When Designing a Polymer Flood?”
Dr. Seright analyzed why polymer floods in heavy-oil fields succeed even with low injected viscosities. Comparing Canadian and Chinese cases, he argued that recovery depends not only on viscosity ratios but also on crossflow and flow-channeling effects. The takeaway: polymer design must balance viscosity, cost, and injectivity, tailored to field-specific dynamics.
Dr. Jeff Southwick (JSouth Energy, USA), “Chemical Flooding in Oman – Lessons Learned”.
Drawing on Shell–PDO (Petroleum Development Oman) collaboration, Dr. Southwick highlighted over 15 years of polymer injection success at Marmul, which increased recovery by 7–10% over waterflooding without negative operational effects. He also presented ASP flooding results adding 10% more recovery, emphasizing chemical quality, logistics, and strong economics as keys to scalability.
Dr. Marat Sagyndikov (Center for EOR, Kazakhstan), “Revisiting Water Injection Post-Polymer Flooding: A Global Perspective”
Dr. Sagyndikov reviewed post-polymer waterflooding results from Kazakhstan, China, Oman, and Canada. He showed that switching back to water often causes rapid decline in oil rates and underscored the need for continued polymer injection until economic limits, with improved modeling and lab-field calibration to ensure sustainable recovery.
Antoine Thomas (Independent Consultant, France), “Rethinking Risk: Why Enhanced Oil Recovery Still Lags—and Why It Shouldn’t”.
A. Thomas explored behavioral and organizational barriers preventing widespread EOR adoption, despite strong economics. He called for early integration of polymer flooding into field development, replacing the outdated “tertiary recovery” mindset with a lifecycle approach that improves energy efficiency, recovery factors, and emissions performance.
Dr. Almas Aitkulov (Hilcorp Alaska, USA), “Milne Point Field Polymer Flood Update and Expansion”
Dr. Aitkulov presented results from Alaska’s first full-field polymer flood, scaling from 6,000 to 60,000 bwpd across 9 polymer units. The project achieved up to 34% OOIP recovery in heavy oil zones and validated polymer flooding as a commercially viable solution for both greenfields and mature assets.
As part of the two-day program, several breakout sessions were held — interactive group discussions designed to analyze real-world production challenges and develop practical solutions relevant to Kazakhstan’s geological and operational conditions.
Topics covered included:
- Conformance control improvement in Western Kazakhstan brownfields
- Scaling up polymer flooding in mature giant fields
- Enhancing polymer EOR through cyclic SP injection
- Polymer breakthrough and production facility management
- Laboratory evaluation of polymer EOR
- Tax and non-tax incentives for EOR projects in Kazakhstan
Each breakout session produced detailed meeting minutes and recommendations, reflecting collaborative proposals from both industry and academia.
Key Recommendations and Practical Solutions
The primary goal of the seminar was to develop effective strategies to enhance oil recovery in mature fields. Expert discussions and breakout sessions resulted in a set of key recommendations aimed at ensuring the sustainable development of Kazakhstan’s oil and gas sector
1. Shifting Efficiency and Planning Parameters
- Moving beyond the “tertiary” paradigm: Polymer flooding should no longer be viewed as a purely tertiary (final-stage) recovery method, but rather as a strategic element in field development planning from earlier stages — a lifecycle approach. This shift enables maximization of the oil recovery factor, improved energy efficiency, and better emissions performance.
- Focusing on the economic limit: The implementation of EOR methods must be sustainable over time. Field experience shows that reverting prematurely from polymer injection back to water flooding often leads to a sharp decline in oil production rates. Polymer injection should therefore continue until the economic production limit is reached.
- Tailored polymer design: When designing polymer flooding projects, engineers should consider not only mobility ratio optimization, but also the effects of crossflow and flow-channeling, adapting the polymer formulation and injection strategy to the specific reservoir dynamics of each field.
2. Scaling Up and Technological Adaptation
- Focus on Chemical EOR (cEOR): The technical and economic viability of chemical EOR methods — particularly polymer flooding — has been reaffirmed through both international (Oman, Canada) and domestic projects (Kalamkas, East Moldabek, Uzen). These technologies are critical to achieving Kazakhstan’s national goal of exceeding 100 mln tons of annual oil production.
- Enhancing performance in Western Kazakhstan: The discussions highlighted the need to improve inflow and conformance control at mature fields in Western Kazakhstan.
3. Regulatory and Institutional Measures
- Government support: The Vice Minister of Energy reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to expanding the industrial deployment of EOR technologies through supportive regulation and closer collaboration with the scientific community.
- Economic incentives: Participants emphasized the critical importance of developing and implementing tax and non-tax incentives to stimulate investment in EOR projects across Kazakhstan.
- Integration of science and industry: The growing involvement of universities and research institutes in applied projects (from 11% to 29%) was highlighted as a positive trend, fully aligning with the seminar’s goal of bridging scientific potential with the practical application of EOR technologies.
The SPE Almaty Section Technical Seminar clearly demonstrated the Kazakhstan oil and gas industry’s readiness for innovation and open technical dialogue. The solutions and recommendations developed during the event lay the groundwork for a new stage in the development of mature assets. The implementation of these recommendations — particularly those related to economic incentives for oil operators and the early adoption of EOR technologies — holds strategic importance for ensuring the country’s long-term energy security and economic prosperity.
The full seminar proceedings, including session meeting minutes and final conclusions, are available on the official event website: https://www.spe-eor-ws.com/