The 'energy renaissance' of Kazakhstan

The Ministry of Energy in Astana expects to reach a volume of 23-27 million tonnes of oil produced annually within the next decades. As the economy continues to grow in Central, South and South-West Asia, an area where 430 million people live and cars are increasingly used.

Astana (AsiaNews) - Kazakhstan's deputy energy minister, Erlan Akkenženov, has presented new projects for the modernisation of the country's energy infrastructure, which has shown great progress in recent years, with the ambition of playing a leading and driving role for the entire Central Asian region, fitting into long-term global strategies. Minenergo, the ministry dedicated to these purposes, has greatly improved its indicators over the past year, including in the digitisation of all procedures and the level of transparency in this crucial sector for the Kazakh economy.

One of the key elements of the government's strategy in this field is the expansion of the possibilities of the oil facilities, as Akkenženov explains, whereby the company in Šymkent will double its potential from 6 to 12 million tonnes by 2030, which will make it possible to meet the growing demand within the country, and also to raise export factors. The similar complex in Atyrau will also undergo a similar transformation, and overall oil processing will be increased by up to 77%, with an increase of 400 thousand tonnes of petrol per year, 300 thousand of diesel and 220 thousand of reactive fuel, strengthening Kazakhstan's energy autonomy, which has been rather weak in recent times, and its role in the international arena.

The creation of an electronic platform, which automatically processes the requests and graphical formulations of oil deliveries, has significantly increased the transparency and efficiency of the entire administration, as the deputy minister explained: 'recipients of oil consignments can fill out all the documentation on time, this minimises risks and increases trust in the system', overcoming the inconveniences that had led to protests throughout the country, with many services being blocked.

It should be noted that under the conditions of geopolitical changes and uncertainties in international markets, Kazakhstan's energy companies are greatly diversifying their oil export routes. The technical possibilities of transporting Kazakh oil through the Transneft joint-stock company's system in Germany, and transit through the Azerbaijan pipeline have opened up many new prospects for development. Protocols to transport oil through the territory of Kazakhstan and China have also been signed with Russia, which guarantees traffic of up to 10 million tonnes per year.

The competent Kazakh authorities are very optimistic about the possibilities for further growth, also considering that the population is expected to increase from the current 23.5 million to 27.7 million by 2050, which will continuously increase the demand for oil production. The Ministry of Energy plans to work towards a volume of 23-27 million tonnes per year within the next decades, to meet the needs of the entire population.

In general, there is a continuous growth of the economy in Central, South and South-West Asia, an area where 430 million people live and cars are increasingly being used, further broadening the prospects for Kazakh oil production, which intends to rise to the role of a leader in the region. As Akkenženov concludes, 'all this will enable our country to respond adequately to global challenges, ensuring steady progress and a significant improvement in the quality of life of our citizens, a true energy and economic renaissance'.