Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Kazakhstan is beginning to implement strategic initiatives aimed at significantly developing its gas industry, Azernews reports.

This announcement was made by Vice Minister of Energy Alibek Zhamauov at the international conference Energy Trends: Gas & Petrochemicals.

According to the Vice Minister, crude gas production is expected to increase from 59 billion cubic meters in 2024 to 62.8 billion cubic meters in 2025. This growth is driven by the operation of existing giant fields such as Tengiz, Karachaganak, and Kashagan, along with the introduction of new fields like Rozhkovskoye, Anabai, and Urikhtau.

"Our goal is to increase gas production to 74 billion cubic meters by 2030. However, the key task is to process gas as efficiently as possible within the country, not only to meet the needs of our citizens and industries but also to create a raw material base for gas chemistry," said Alibek Zhamauov, Vice Minister of Energy.

As part of the development strategy, four new gas processing plants are planned to be built: two stages of the Kashagan plant (with a total capacity of 3.5 billion cubic meters per year), the Karachaganak plant (4 billion cubic meters per year), and a new KazGPP plant in Zhanaozen (0.9 billion cubic meters per year).

Special attention is also being paid to the development of petrochemicals. Major projects are in the works for the production of carbamide, ammonia, methanol, as well as alkylates and polypropylene based on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). These initiatives are expected not only to fulfill domestic needs but also to strengthen Kazakhstan’s position in global petrochemical markets.

According to Zhamauov, all these initiatives form part of a unified strategy, which will be outlined in the Comprehensive Gas Industry Development Plan for 2025-2029. The implementation of these plans is expected to attract more than $25 billion in investments by 2029, create thousands of new jobs, and make a substantial contribution to the diversification of Kazakhstan's economy.

Energy Export Expansion: Kazakhstan plans to expand its gas export capacity, focusing on markets in Asia, where demand for natural gas is growing rapidly. The development of new gas infrastructure will make the country a more prominent player in global energy markets.