/ Photo: REUTERS, picture editor: Arthur Aleskerov
Despite the global shift toward green energy, Kazakhstan is actively exploring the potential of 15 sedimentary basins. According to the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, citing KazMunayGas (KMG) CEO Askhat Khasenov — who spoke at the Oil Summit in Tatarstan — the total resources of these basins are estimated at 76 billion tons of oil equivalent.
«Geologists, experts and researchers have developed a comprehensive atlas of Kazakhstan’s 15 sedimentary oil and gas basins. We are currently working on only five of them, yet the potential already appears significant, amounting to an estimated 76 billion tons of oil equivalent for all 15 basins,» Khasenov said, noting that these figures still need to be confirmed through geological exploration and drilling.
Currently, Kazakhstan’s proven oil reserves stand at 4.4 billion tons.
Khasenov also highlighted the Caspian Basin as one of the most promising areas, where KMG is drilling a 5,500-meter-deep well in cooperation with the Russian oil company Tatneft.
«This area holds tremendous potential. We hope to make a meaningful discovery that will drive further oil development in the region,» he emphasized.
Tatneft has expanded its business operations in Kazakhstan since 2024, when it acquired a 50% stake in Karaton Operating Ltd., the company overseeing the Karaton Podsolevoy project, from KMG.
The Russian oil giant also holds an interest in a $446.7 million tire factory in Saran — a project widely regarded as promising for Kazakhstan as the country seeks to expand its automotive manufacturing sector.
