Kazakhstan will reduce oil transit through Russia by 80%

Kazakhstan may sharply increase crude oil exports from the Turkish port of Ceyhan, bypassing Russia.

Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev said on November 25, Reuters reported. 

The increase in oil exports from Kazakhstan, bypassing Russia, would reduce more than 80% of flows that currently flow through Russia.

Exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline could increase from the current 1.5 million tons per year to 20 million tons as the country increases production. Satkaliyev did not give an exact timeframe.

“There is interest in developing and gradually increasing the volume of supplies of Kazakh oil in this direction from both our side and our Azerbaijani partners,” he told parliament.

Kazakhstan ships crude oil by tanker across the Caspian Sea for export via the BTC, which runs through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. According to the minister, Kazakhstan will export 68.8 million tons of oil this year, including 55.4 million tons via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It will also ship 8.6 million tons via the Atyrau-Samara pipeline also through Russia, 3.6 million tons via the Caspian Sea and 1.1 million tons via pipeline to China.

Kazakhstan expects to produce 88.4 million tons of oil this year, down from an initial target of more than 90 million tons, reflecting maintenance of large oil fields and Kazakhstan’s commitment to OPEC+ production cuts. That translates to about 1.82 million barrels per day, based on a ratio of 7.5 barrels per ton. Kazakh exports account for more than 1% of global supplies. Starting in 2026, the country plans to produce more than 100 million tons of oil per year.

Photo: CPC terminal in Novorossiysk, Russia.

Earlier, USM reported that Kazakhstan is buying tankers to transport oil bypassing Russia.