Kazakhstan to increase oil refining capacity to 39 mln tonnes by 2040, investments to $19 blnKazakhstan plans to more than double its oil refining capacity to 39 million tonnes by 2040, the press service of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic reported.According to the press service, on Friday in Astana, during the Kazakhstan Energy Week - 2025, Talgat Makuov, Director of the Department of Oil Transportation and Processing at the Ministry of Energy, presented the concept for the development of Kazakhstan's oil refining industry for 2025-2040."The expected volume of investment in the industry's development will amount to $15 - $19 billion due to an increase in processing capacity from 18 to 39 million tonnes per year, and oil refining efficiency will increase significantly," Makuov is quoted as saying by the press service.The concept sets a key target: improving the ratio of oil production to refining from 5:1 to 2.5:1, or twofold. The document pays special attention to environmental standards and the reduction of harmful emissions."In Kazakhstan, petrochemical and gas chemical industries are developing in two main directions. The first is petrochemicals, currently represented by the production of benzene and paraxylene at the ANPZ [Atyrau Oil Refinery], but it has enormous potential through the petrochemical synthesis of second-third stage liquid petroleum products into more complex fourth-fifth stage organic substances, for example, alkylarenes, surfactants, ketones, aldehydes, polyatomic alcohols, etc. The second is gas chemistry, exemplified by the KPI project for polypropylene production,” Makuov said.The Ministry of Energy believes that in the future it is expedient to expand existing refineries and build integrated and high-tech refineries and petrochemical complexes with a flexible product line depending on market demand.According to Makuov, the implementation of the concept will make it possible to supply the domestic market with high-quality petroleum products, expand the export potential of a flexible product line to the fast-growing Asian markets, create new jobs, and increase Kazakhstan's investment attractiveness. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX