Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy needs more time to assess the feasibility of building an oil export pipeline along the Caspian seabed toward Azerbaijan, the agency told Kursiv.media. The project would also require coordination with other coastal states in the Caspian Sea.
«Given the expected increase in oil production in the medium term, and as part of the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the ministry, along with the national company KazMunayGas (KMG) JSC and other stakeholders, is working to establish additional transportation routes. As for the potential construction of a new oil pipeline along the Caspian seabed, more time is needed for study, calculations and other necessary measures,» the ministry said.
The agency also noted that such plans must be coordinated with Caspian coastal states, including Russia, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. Additionally, it reported that the construction of offshore mooring terminals (OMT) at the port of Aktau depends on factors such as the water area, climatic conditions and international safety, environmental and energy efficiency standards.
«Currently, oil shipments through the port of Aktau meet consumer demand under existing contractual agreements. Deliveries along this route depend on the economic viability of the corridor and agreements between the involved economic entities,» the ministry stated.
KazTransOil, a subsidiary of KMG, shipped 1.419 million tons of oil via the port of Aktau to Baku in 2024, up from 1.392 million tons in 2023.
During a ministerial board meeting on Feb. 26, Minister of Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev said that Kazakhstan plans to increase oil exports to 70.5 million tons in 2025, up from 68.6 million tons in 2024. The projected rise in exports is linked to the growth project at Tengiz, the country’s largest oil and gas field. Oil production is also expected to grow, reaching 96.2 million tons in 2025, compared to 87.7 million tons in 2024.
Most of Kazakhstan’s oil will continue to be exported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system, the Atyrau-Samara and Atasu-Alashankou pipelines, as well as through the port of Aktau, with shipments further directed to Baku and Makhachkala. Specifically, 57.05 million tons are planned to be transported via the CPC, 8.8 million tons via Atyrau-Samara (including 1.2 million tons onward through the Druzhba pipeline to Germany), 3.6 million tons through the port of Aktau (including 1.5 million tons via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline) and 1 million tons via Atasu-Alashankou.
Notably, in 2023, the governments of Kazakhstan and Russia extended their agreement on transporting Russian oil through Kazakhstan to China for another 10 years, covering a total volume of 100 million tons or 10 million tons annually. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s oil exports to China remain stable, with shipments via the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline reaching 1.2 million tons by the end of 2024.
Kurmangazy Iskaziyev, first deputy CEO of KMG, a subsidiary of Samruk-Kazyna, said during the ministerial board meeting that Kazakhstan plans to increase oil transit via the Aktau-Baku-Ceyhan route to 1.7 million tons in 2025, up from 1.4 million tons in 2024.
According to KMG’s forecasts, Kazakhstan will export about 63 million tons of oil through the CPC in 2025, compared to 56 million tons in 2024. Additionally, 1.5 million tons of oil are planned for delivery to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline, maintaining the same volume as in 2024.
On Feb. 17, Astana hosted a meeting between Minister of Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev and Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto where they discussed the potential supply of Kazakh oil to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline in 2025. The Ministry of Energy reported that discussions on test oil shipments from Kazakhstan to Hungary are still in the early stages. The feasibility of these supplies will depend on their economic viability, the chosen route and agreements between the relevant economic entities of both countries.
