Kazakhstan’s Kondensat refinery to process Russian oil

Kazakhstan’s Kondensat oil refinery will begin processing Russian crude following an official request from Moscow, Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said.

“We received an official request from the Russian Energy Ministry. The Kondensat refinery will process Russian oil and send 30% of the petroleum products produced from the processed volume to Russia,” Akkenzhenov said at a government briefing in Astana.

The arrangement will see the refinery receive Russian crude for processing, with nearly one-third of the resulting petroleum products subsequently supplied back to Russia.

The Kondensat refinery, located at the Karachaganak field, was originally built to provide gasoline and diesel fuel to Kazakhstan’s West Kazakhstan Region. 

In 2017, the facility increased its annual processing capacity from 650,000 tons to 850,000 tons, strengthening its role in meeting regional fuel demand.

By Vafa Guliyeva