Major Kazakh refinery faces record penalty for emissions breach

Kazakhstan’s Atyrau Oil Refinery (ANPZ), one of the country’s three leading refineries, has been fined 540 million tenge ($1.10 million) for exceeding environmental emission limits, with the penalty already collected.

The probe was launched following multiple complaints from Atyrau residents about hydrogen sulfide in the air, Caliber.Az reports, citing Kazakh media.

The Department of Ecology carried out an unscheduled inspection of the refinery, issuing three violation reports. A court subsequently imposed a fine of 520 million tenge.

“Atyrau Oil Refinery did not agree with the results and appealed to a higher committee, but without success,” said Alibek Bekmukhametov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Regulation and Control, at the Regional Environmental Summit.

The inspection, which concluded on February 16, also revealed excessive levels of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide. The refinery was fined an additional 20 million tenge ($40,700) for these violations.

By Vafa Guliyeva