Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy is aiming to make the country fully self-sufficient in petroleum products and begin exporting them by 2030, Yerlan Akkenzhenov, a senior ministry official, said.

“Overall, it is expected that by 2030, Kazakhstan will not only meet its own needs but also export finished petroleum products to Central Asian countries,” he said, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

Kazakhstan currently covers more than 90% of its domestic petroleum product demand. This is supported by the operation of three major refineries - the Atyrau, Shymkent and Pavlodar plants.

Akkenzhenov noted that the country processed 18.4 million tons of oil last year, producing around 15.5 million tons of finished petroleum products.

To achieve full domestic self-sufficiency and enter export markets, the authorities plan to increase refining capacity. The plans include expanding the Shymkent and Pavlodar refineries and building new processing lines at the Atyrau refinery.