Kazakh oil enters Georgian market as Kulevi refinery diversifies from Russian crudeFor the first time, Kazakhstan has exported oil to Georgia, with 5,500 tonnes of Kazakh crude delivered to the Kulevi refinery in July as part of the plant's diversification away from Russian supplies.Previously, no Kazakh oil imports had been recorded in Georgia's foreign trade."The Kulevi refinery, owned by Black Sea Petroleum (BSP), has now completed the replacement of Russian crude with a combination of Kazakh and Libyan feedstock. As of Aug. 23, the plant began processing exclusively non-Russian oil," the company said.From July through the first three weeks of August, the refinery processed Kazakh oil alongside Russian crude before completing the switch.Georgia imported 5,500 tonnes of Kazakh oil in July, valued at $3.2 million, according to the country's national statistics office.BSP said it also secured a long-term contract for Libyan crude on July 3, with the first 90,000-tonne shipment delivered to the port of Kulevi on Aug. 30. The agreement runs through the end of 2027 and includes an extension option."Thus, the raw material diversification plan announced by the company on July 1 and July 31 has been successfully implemented," BSP said.The move came as the European Union imposed preventative sanctions on the Kulevi refinery on July 23, set to take effect on Jan. 25, 2027, unless the plant ceases processing Russian oil. The EU said the refinery was given a six-month delay to allow time to diversify away from Russian feedstock.According to BSP, the refinery processed more than 650,000 tonnes of crude in the first half of 2026.The Kulevi refinery sits next to a terminal owned by Azerbaijan's state oil company that has operated since May 2008 with capacity of 10 million tonnes per year. Georgia's only other refinery, in the Khobi municipality, started its first phase at the end of 2025 with capacity of 1.2 million tonnes annually; a second phase will boost that to 4.5 million tonnes, with total investment estimated at $800 million. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX