Drone Strikes on CPC Drag Down Kazakhstan’s Oil and Gas Output

Kazakhstan’s oil, gas and petrochemical sectors slowed at the beginning of the year due to drone attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Orda.kz reports.

In the first quarter of 2026, output in Kazakhstan’s oil and gas chemical industry fell to 86.1% of last year’s level. Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov announced this at a government meeting.

Production amounted to about 134,000 tons, down from a year earlier. The Energy Ministry linked the decline to the situation around the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and Tengiz.

Akkenzhenov said the ministry, together with KazMunayGas and partners, is working to increase polypropylene production to 450,000 tons this year. The forecast for 2026 is 580,000 tons. He said the downturn in the oil and gas sector was linked to the situation at CPC and Tengiz.

Indicators fell across almost all key categories:

• oil and condensate production — 19.7 million tons, or 80.2% of last year’s level;
• oil exports — 15.3 million tons, or 78.5%;
• gas production — 13.6 billion cubic meters, or 84.9%;
• commercial gas production — 6.1 billion cubic meters, or 83.6%.

At the same time, domestic gas consumption increased to 8.8 billion cubic metres, up 8%.

The authorities are also planning to build a new refinery with a capacity of 10 million tons and modernize plants in Pavlodar, Shymkent and Atyrau.

Original author: Ilya Astakhov

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