Kazakhstan’s national company KazMunayGas and Chinese CNODC are finalizing procedures to establish a joint venture for a $1.25 billion gas-chemical complex in Aktobe region.

The complex is expected to produce up to 880,000 tons of carbamide and 80,000 tons of methanol annually, boosting Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial development and food security, The Caspian Post reports via Russian website.

Following the joint venture setup, the project will move into the FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) phase, building on the previously prepared feasibility study.

Additionally, talks covered expanding the Shymkent refinery’s capacity from 6 million to 12 million tons of oil per year to meet rising domestic demand for oil products, with a feasibility study currently underway.