Energy Minister: Kazakhstan Targets 90 Million Tons of Oil Production in 2026

Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov has announced that Kazakhstan aims to produce around 90 million tons of oil in 2026.

Akkenzhenov made these remarks during the 16th KazEnergy Eurasian Forum, The Caspian Post informs via local media.

He noted that the figure is an estimate due to planned maintenance work at major oil fields.

“Maintenance is a complex technological process, especially at large fields like Tengiz, Karachaganak, and Kashagan. If repairs occur at all three sites, this will inevitably impact overall production,” he said.

The government projects that oil production will reach 96.2 million tons by the end of 2025, up from 87.7 million tons produced in 2024.

Moreover, Akkenzhenov highlighted that Kazakhstan is also intensifying efforts to boost its oil exports via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.

Akkenzhenov stated that Kazakhstan transported 923,000 tons of oil through the BTC pipeline in the first eight months of 2025. He emphasized the existing agreement with Azerbaijan, which targets increasing annual transit volumes to 2.2 million tons.

“We are actively working with our partners to expand these volumes. This route holds significant strategic value not only for Kazakh exporters but also for international oil companies,” Akkenzhenov said.

The minister further projected that Kazakhstan’s oil exports via the BTC pipeline could reach 1.2 million tons by the end of 2025.

This development is based on a 2022 general agreement between KazMunayGas (KMG) and State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) regarding the transit of Kazakh oil. In March 2023, a successful test shipment of 7,000 tons of oil from the Kashagan field was transported through Azerbaijan.

In March 2024, KMG and SOCAR signed a new agreement to gradually increase oil transit volumes through Azerbaijan, aiming for a capacity of 2.2 million tons annually, reflecting growing cooperation between the two countries in energy logistics.