The Astana Times – Kazakhstan’s three oil refineries are restoring capacities after Pavlodar and Shymkent oil refineries completed planned repair works, said Deputy Chairman of KazMunayGas Dmitry Makeyev, Kazinform reported on July 18.
According to Makeyev, oil refineries will work as usual in two weeks, as they have modernized production facilities, improved environmental indicators, and increased tax payments to the budget and production volumes.
Refineries provide a sufficient supply of all types of fuel to the domestic market. However, problems with transportation caused a recent shortage of 95 RON gasoline at the country’s petrol stations, said Makeyev, adding that the necessary volumes of diesel fuel will be provided for the harvesting campaign.
As for jet fuel, it is planned to increase the production volume by expanding the Shymkent oil refinery, as the country has to import a third of the needed volume now.
“According to marketing research, in the next 10-20 years, the need for jet fuel will be 1.2 million tons. The technical solutions for the expansion of the Shymkent refinery are aimed, among other things, at satisfying the needs for jet fuel,” Makeyev said.
As of July 17, Kazakh refineries processed 38,700 tons of oil, 14.5% or 4,900 tons more than the previous year. As a result, the figure recovered to the level that preceded the shutdown of the Atyrau oil refinery after a 130-megawatt power unit of the Mangystau Atomic Energy Complex switched off on July 3. The figure is expected to increase after all three refineries return to their usual mode and restore the daily volume of 50,000 tons.
The Kazakh government on July 19 made a decision to allocate nearly 4.9 billion tenge ($11 million) to ensure the reliable and smooth operation of the Mangystau Atomic Energy Complex.
The investigation into the causes of the accident revealed systemic shortcomings in the work of energy facilities. To prevent similar situations, the government will take several urgent and systemic measures, including modernization and reconstruction of the complex, strengthening the stable external power supply to the Atyrau refinery, and constructing its energy source.
