Kazakhstan produced 19.7mn tons of oil and gas condensate in January–March 2026, accounting for 80.2% of the same period last year, according to Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov reports Forbes.

The minister noted that oil exports over the three-month period totaled 15.3mn tons, or 78.5% year-on-year, while the full-year export forecast stands at 76mn tons.

Gas production reached 13.6bn cubic meters during the reporting period, representing 84.9% compared to the same period in 2025, with total output expected to reach 62.7bn cubic meters by the end of the year.

Akkenzhenov stated that work is ongoing at the Karachaganak field to launch a sixth gas reinjection compressor, which is expected to help maintain oil production at 10–11mn tons annually. Negotiations are also underway with major subsoil users to increase oil output.

In parallel, Kazakhstan is implementing a long-term plan to develop new hydrocarbon fields through 2035 in cooperation with the Samruk-Kazyna fund. As part of this effort, construction of a gas processing plant at the Kashagan field with a capacity of 1bn cubic meters is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Oil product output reached 3.67mn tons in the first quarter, or 98.9% of last year’s level, with annual production projected at 15.5mn tons.

The government is also accelerating the construction of a new oil refinery with a planned capacity of 10mn tons, following instructions from the head of state.

In addition, expansion projects are underway at key refineries, including increasing capacity at Pavlodar from 5.5mn to 9mn tons, Shymkent from 6mn to 12mn tons, and Atyrau from 5.5mn to 6.7mn tons.

Production of petrochemical products totaled 134,000 tons in the first quarter, or 86.1% year-on-year. Authorities are working with KazMunayGas and KPI to increase polypropylene output to 450,000 tons this year, with a total of 580,000 tons expected by the end of 2026.

Kazakhstan is also pursuing a broader strategy to expand its refining and petrochemical capacity, with plans to increase total oil refining capacity to 40mn tons by 2040 while introducing digitalization and advanced automation to improve efficiency, transparency, and export potential.