Kazakhstan occupies a leading position in the world in the extraction of high quality black gold. Oil production in Kazakhstan is carried out in the western regions of the country. According to experts, stocks of high-class valuable minerals will last for several centuries.
Kashagan
This is the name of one of the largest oil fields in Kazakhstan, occupies the ninth line in the ranking of the largest wells in the world and the first in complexity. Underground natural storage facilities were found 80 km from the city of Atyrau in the early 2000s. Despite the difficult terrain, specialists managed to create optimal conditions for oil production and refining.
Kashagan is the first field located in the part of the Caspian Sea that belongs to the republic. It is the largest investment project in the country. The field received its name in honor of the Kazakh poet Kashagan Kurzhananuly. On the opening year of this project, the country celebrated the 150th anniversary of its birth.
In September 2016, commercial oil production began on Kashagan. This event was a turning point in the development of the economy of Kazakhstan. A month later, Kazakh crude oil flowed through pipes for export to several European countries through the Black Sea city of Novorossiysk. In the future, it is planned to increase the number of export routes, including via Baku and Tbilisi.
Tengiz
In 1979, a group of scientists discovered a large oil and gas field, called Tengiz, 350 km from the city of Atyrau. It became the second largest country after Kashagan. After accurate exploration of the deposits, the construction of an oil refining complex began, which took about ten years. The first developer of the new field by mutual agreement of the leaders (Mikhail Gorbachev and Nursultan Nazarbayev) was the American company Chevron.
Initially, the share of Kazakhstan was 50%, but then part of it was sold to the American company Exxon Mobile. Today, Kazakhstan owns the fifth share, which is managed by the state company Kazmunaygaz. Since the launch of the first batch of oil in Kazakhstan, its own brand of this natural fuel, Tengiz, has appeared.
Tengiz disaster
June 23, 1985 was a rainy day in the history of Kazakhstan. When working at oil well No. 37, an unexpected incident occurred: the absorption of the drilling fluid. A huge fountain of crude oil burst from a depth of 4.5 thousand meters. High pressure and the maximum content of side elements in the form of gas led to the sudden ignition of the fountain.
The largest oil field in Kazakhstan was engulfed in flames, which experts in the field of fire fighting could not cope with almost a year. At that time, incidents of this magnitude were not publicized. Today, all the details of the disaster are unveiled. Experts say that back in 1985 there were no training aids for extinguishing gas and oil fountains, there was no equipment and equipment. It was impossible to approach a burning torch closer than 400 meters. There was no technique. The air temperature was around 100 degrees Celsius.
The problem was solved almost a year after the construction of 13 km of water supply for cooling metal structures. This allowed the bombers to approach a safe distance and lay TNT charges. Thus, a gradual conservation of the fountain was carried out. It was possible to fully cement the well after 400 days.
Karachaganak
Oil production in Kazakhstan has reached a new level with the discovery in 1979 of a new field in the West Kazakhstan region. It received the name Karachaganak, which means “black bay” in Kazakh. It is located almost on the border of Kazakhstan and Russia. The nearest cities are 30 km and 115 km, these are Aksay and Uralsk respectively. Industrial complexes are located on the territory of almost 200 km both on land and on the Caspian Sea.
Full-scale development began in 1980. Then all work was carried out under the direction of the industrial association Orenburggazprom. Today, oil production and refining belongs to the joint-stock company Karachaganak Petroleum Operating.
Zhetybai
This project is one of the largest oil and gas fields in Kazakhstan. Opened on July 5, 1961, eight years later it began to produce the first oil and high-quality natural gas. The well here is one of the few that is at a late development stage. Oil reserves in this area are approximately 70 million tons from the initial 345 million. The development center is located in the city of Aktau on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Atyrau Refinery
Oil refining in Kazakhstan is carried out at the highest level. The oil industry is an important part of the country's economy, so the heads of enterprises pay great attention to technical equipment.
Atyrau black gold processing plant is one of the three largest enterprises in Kazakhstan. Oil is supplied uninterrupted. The complex was built during two difficult war years, and gave the first output in 1945. The technical side of the project was developed by the American company Badger and Sons, which was considered the best in this area. Already Soviet specialists corrected the project, focusing on the geophysical data of the region.
At first, the production capacity was very small, only about 800 thousand tons per year. In this case, foreign chemical elements were used. Two decades later, the company's management began to introduce new developments and technologies. This improved production capacity and gave impetus to a new direction. All the necessary auxiliary elements began to be produced in Kazakhstan. Today, Kazmunaigas owns a controlling stake in ANPZ.
Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant
The national company Kazmunaigas is the sovereign owner of another powerful oil refining enterprise. Kazakhstan produces fuel products not only for domestic use, but also for export. The Pavlodar complex is the leader in the number of modern technologies introduced at the country's enterprises.
The plant began to function in 1978. A distinctive feature of this enterprise is oil refining according to the fuel variant, that is, production is aimed at the complete conversion of refined oil into fuel materials such as gasoline and kerosene. PNZ fulfills the norm for 30% of the total volume of oil refining in the country. Technologically, the plant is focused on working with the West Siberian type of black gold.
Shymkent oil refinery
Vast oil reserves in Kazakhstan require its quick and high-quality processing. Therefore, in the south of the country, a third oil refinery was erected in the city of Shymkent. Compared to the Pavlodar and Atyrau complexes, Shymkent is the youngest. It was built in 1985.
In addition to the refining of our own oil products, which account for 30% of the total volume, the plant’s capacities allow us to accept third-party raw materials. The resulting products are of high quality. Modern technical equipment allows you to get a wide range of oil products:
- Petrol.
- Fuel oil.
- Aviation kerosene.
- Diesel fuel.
- Liquefied gas.
- Gas oil.
- Sulfur.
The capacity of the Shymkent plant is about 40.6 million barrels per year. In addition, in the near future, the development and improvement of fuel quality to the European standard Euro-4.
Oil reserves
In Kazakhstan there are more than two hundred large oil and gas fields. Most hydrocarbons are located in the western part of the country. This is the region of the Caspian Sea. According to preliminary estimates by experts, the volume of oil deposits is approximately 12-13 billion tons. Such oil reserves in Kazakhstan put it in the top ten world leaders in black gold reserves after a number of Arab countries, the USA, Russia and South America. The main stocks of raw materials are concentrated in the following industries:
- Kashagan. The reserves of the field are about 4 billion tons.
- Tengiz. It has about 1.2 billion tons of oil.
- Karashyganak. According to experts, the reserves of this field are about 1.2 billion tons of oil and 1.3 trillion cubic meters of gas.
- Uzen. It has 1.1 billion tons of black gold in its bowels.
- Geological oil reserves in the Kalamkas field account for more than 500 million tons of raw materials.
- Zhetybai. This is a large field. The volume of stocks of raw materials is 345 million tons.
Despite the huge volumes of oil produced, Kazakhstan buys a significant part of gasoline (very important socially and for the entire economy of raw materials) from Russia. This is due to gasoline production prices, excise taxes and the country's domestic trade policy.
Most people believe that the larger the volume of oil produced in the country, the cheaper gas should be. This is relevant only for countries with a low level of social development.
Oil in Kazakhstan is concentrated mainly in 15 officially explored and approved development basins. Large-scale industrial production is carried out only in five districts: the Caspian, South Mangyshlak, Ustyurt-Buzashinsky, Yuzhno-Torgaysky and Shusarysuysky. Here, work is carried out in more than one hundred fields. According to official figures, oil production in Kazakhstan is carried out only in 65% of the total reserves.
Prospects
During the collapse of the USSR, Kazakhstan was in the third dozen countries that produce oil. Gaining independence has brought significant changes to the country's industrial sector. For the first ten years, Kazakhstan has entered the top ten oil-producing countries in the world. Mining has grown almost five times. The opening of the Kashagan field increased the extraction of raw materials by another three times for the period 2017-2018.
Now the country's oil sector is at the peak of its development. It is planned that by 2025 about 110 million tons of oil will be produced. However, after that, the level of production will begin to decline - so experts say. This is due to the gradual full development of the first discovered deposits. By 2050, there will be significantly less oil produced in Kazakhstan. What volumes do analysts predict? In the worst case scenario, they will amount to 40-50 million tons per year.
Brands of gasoline
Currently, four grades of gasoline are produced in the country for import and export:
As you know, the letter "A" in the marking means that the fuel is only suitable for cars. The letter "I" indicates that all studies on the quality of gasoline were carried out in the laboratory. A number is an octane number. The higher it is, the better gasoline.
The AI-80, AI-92 and AI-95 brands, as well as diesel and aviation fuel, are mainly produced at the Atyrau refinery. Pavlodar plant specializes in the production of gasoline grades AI-92 and AI-95.
Gas lubricants
Until 2010, oil and gas in Kazakhstan were produced and refined in sufficient quantities. However, at the same time, the country did not have a production complex for the manufacture of lubricating motor oils. The required amount of product was purchased abroad.
The problem was solved through the construction of a new Hill enterprise in Shymkent, which intends to produce more than 70 thousand tons of high-quality motor oils per year. This will cover about 30% of the volume necessary for the country, but even this will bring the state a profit of several hundred million dollars.
The plant is built and equipped with the latest technology. The production of various types of oils (hydraulic, turbine, motor) is carried out at the highest level and costs 10% cheaper than imported. The main customers are the state corporations Kazmunaigas and Intergas.