Kazakhstan Updates Subsoil Code to Boost Oil, Uranium, and Investment

The Kazakh parliament has approved amendments to the Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code in its second reading, aiming to strengthen hydrocarbon and uranium resource management.

The changes are designed to attract more investment in oil and gas exploration, enhance the state’s role in the uranium sector, and support technologically complex projects, including heavy oil, bitumen, and shale oil fields, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

MP Yedil Zhanbyrzhin highlighted that the amendments also allow deeper exploration down to 5,000 meters without altering closed contours, while introducing support measures for subsoil users employing enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques.

The revisions enable existing gas-producing fields to adopt upgraded model contracts for complex projects, ensuring unfinished work is counted toward future obligations - a move aimed at easing resource shortages.

The update comes as OPEC+ recently announced a December oil output increase of 137,000 barrels per day, underscoring Kazakhstan’s focus on aligning domestic policy with global energy trends.