Aqtau: Queues for Gas Pop Up Again.

cover  Photo Orda.kz

There are again queues for gas in Aqtau. The city has a blue fuel deficit, and some refueling stations have simply closed. An Orda.kz correspondent has looked into the situation.

The issue was first discussed in August. However, this topic is gaining more attention as winter approaches, and the queues are not getting shorter. 

City residents claim the problem is artificially created, but local authorities neither confirm nor deny such accusations.

We drove to witness the long queues ourselves.

Not all stations were operating. The entrance to some is blocked by a barrier—there is no fuel. At the gas station, we saw a crowd of cars, and they said there would not be enough gas for everyone. 

I just opened the station today. I sold the last gas 10 days ago. They give us the quota, they bring it three times a month. From Zhanaozen in barrels. But in two days all the fuel runs out, and now you're in line. I sold everything in two days, and then we wait another week, says one station owner in the city center.
 Photo: Orda.kz

Those in line hope to stock up on autogas for future use.

While filling up, one woman called her relatives and told them to hurry before the gas ran out. 

I saw from the window that the gas station opened and immediately rushed here. I live in a building nearby. There has been no gas in the whole city lately. I tried driving on petrol - it's expensive. Look for yourself: I filled up with gas now 53 liters - it came out to a little more than 3,000 tenge. And petrol is four times more expensive, says the resident.
 Photo: Orda.kz

A liter of liquefied gas in Aqtau now costs 59 tenge, the lowest price in the country.

In other regions, it is 15-30 tenges more. The most expensive autogas is in Almaty and the Almaty region: 89 tenge per liter.

Drivers in Aqtau claim the shortage in the city is created intentionally to raise prices.

It's all corruption! Don't ask us, ask those 'at the top.' They want to raise the cost of autogas, so they're deliberately creating a deficit. And now it's cheap, almost free. My family has two cars, and both run on gas. Before there was blue fuel, we had to drive on petrol, but that's a real pain in the neck.says pensioner Amalbay Baulibayev.

Meanwhile, the Mangystau Region Akimat responded to Orda.kz's inquiry about the shortage of liquefied gas in the region:

Every month, 18 thousand tons of liquefied gas are supplied to Mangystau region. Of these, 16 thousand tons come from the KazGPZ refinery in Zhanaozen and another two thousand tons - from the Atyrau Oil Refinery (ANPZ). However, due to repairs at the ANPZ in October, there was a disruption in gas supplies from the ANPZ, and only 17 thousand tons were delivered to the region. This caused temporary queues at some refueling stations in the region. Now the repairs at the ANPZ are complete. In November, 500 tons of liquefied gas are expected to be supplied to the region. In addition, measures have been taken to supply an additional volume of 828 tons from PKOP LLP and 300 tons from KazGPZ LLP. This measure will stabilize the situation with gas supply to the region,The regional energy department reported.  

Mangystau is one of the largest consumers of liquefied gas in Kazakhstan. In the region, almost every second vehicle is converted to use autogas.

Car with gas-use sticker Photo: Orda

As Orda.kz was told by the regional police department, there are 183,632 vehicles registered in the region, 104,020 are equipped with gas cylinder equipment (GCE).

Mangystau car owners do this to save money, as not everyone can afford alternatives.

GCE installation shop  Photo Orda.kz
It so happened that in the west of Kazakhstan they prefer to drive on gas. It happens that they bring me a car straight from the showroom to convert it. For example, they buy a jeep and use it for grazing cattle. There are a lot of fuel costs, so gas has more bounce to the ounce than petrol. Also, it is convenient: when the gas in the cylinder runs out, they drive on petrol, and vice versa. They use it as a backup fuel. After all, they graze cattle in the steppe, and there are not gas stations everywhere, says auto repair shop owner, Kuanysh Izimov. 

In Aqtau, the cost to convert a passenger car to gas fuel starts at 180,000 tenge (roughly $364).

This includes the cost of equipment and the installation work. Izimov says installing the equipment on a large SUV costs around 300,000 tenge (roughly $606).

Despite the deficit, no fewer people are willing to switch to blue fuel, while Aqtau residents' dissatisfaction grows.

But the issue takes a back seat to others, for now. Residents are more concerned about their homes' lack of heating and hot water.

Because of this, residents of the regional center have repeatedly gathered and blocked roads, demanding the Akim. Afterward, utility services quickly restored the supply of heat and water. 

Author: Dinara Bekbolaeva

The original article was posted on 19/11/24. Refer to it for accuracy.

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