Caspi Bitum Plant in Aqtau Restarts Operations After Modernization

On May 5, the Aqtau bitumen plant officially resumed operations following a major modernization effort. The plant is operated by Caspi Bitum, a joint venture equally owned by KazMunayGas (KMG) and the Chinese CITIC Group, Orda.kz reports.

According to KMG, the upgrade was carried out on the instructions of President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev, with CITIC Construction as the general contractor. More than 220 specialists worked around the clock on the upgrade, completing the project a month ahead of schedule.

As a result of the modernization, the plant’s annual oil refining capacity has increased from 1 million to 1.5 million tons, and bitumen production has risen from 500,000 to 750,000 tons, the KMG press service stated. 

A key part of the project was upgrading the primary oil refining unit. The plant installed a new 140-ton vacuum column, 24 pumps, 20 heat exchangers, five air-cooling units, and laid 14,000 meters of pipeline, along with other technical improvements.

KMG emphasized that the upgraded facility will help ensure a steady supply of high-quality bitumen for the domestic market, reducing Kazakhstan’s reliance on imports.

The Caspi Bitum plant, which processes oil from the Qarajanbas field, had faced shortages in recent years, forcing Kazakhstan to buy bitumen from Russia and request additional import quotas.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny