President Tokayev dismisses energy minister Almassadam Satkaliyev

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has removed Minister of Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev from office, as reported by the government’s press service. Satkaliyev will now head the newly established Nuclear Energy Agency.   

Satkaliyev had served as Energy Minister since April 2023, succeeding Bolat Akchulakov. In February, he was reappointed following the cabinet’s resignation.

In recent months, the Ministry of Energy has come under scrutiny multiple times due to Kazakhstan’s non-compliance with oil production quotas under the OPEC+ deal. Since last year, the country has been compensating for past overproduction. However, even after Astana voluntarily committed to additional production cuts, Kazakhstan still faced allegations of failing to meet its quotas.

In mid-March, the agency stated that it is fully committed to adhering to the OPEC+ agreement. The ministry attributed February’s overproduction to operating procedures at the Tengiz field. It also emphasized that Kazakhstan is not a major player in the global market, accounting for approximately 1.5% of global production, posing no significant impact.

In his new role, Satkaliyev is to oversee the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, which was approved by voters in last year’s referendum.