Photo source: Akorda

Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov announced plans for the development of the oil and gas chemical industry at the enlarged Government session chaired by the Head of State.

Thus, according to Alikhan Smailov, in 2023 at the Tengiz field will be completed wellhead pressure management project, at Kashagan started construction of a gas processing plant with a capacity of 1.1 bcm, at Karachaganak a project for additional processing of 3 billion cubic meters of gas is being developed.

An Enhanced Model Contract has been introduced for the implementation of complex subsoil use projects. In particular, it will make it possible to start in 2023 investment projects worth $9 billion on the Kalamkas-Khazar and Karaton fields.

At the same time, road maps between Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey aimed at modernizing transport infrastructure were adopted to develop trans-Caspian international routes. In particular, Kazakhstan plans to increase the capacity of Aktau and Kuryk ports, start construction of a container hub, add 10 new ferries to the merchant fleet, etc.

As regards development of oil and gas chemistry, this year a plant producing polypropylene with capacity of 500,000 tons a year, which is among top 10 global producers of the product, was commissioned. In addition, development of a project to produce polyethylene with a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes has begun. Next year, the construction of butadiene production plants in the Atyrau region and methanol production plants in the West Kazakhstan region with a total investment of $1 billion should also begin.

At the same time, in 2023 the basic design of the Shymkent refinery expansion to 9 million tons will start and bitumen production will be increased by 300 thousand tons.