Kazakh Gas Output Falls After Drone Strike on Russian Plant

A Ukrainian drone strike on a gas processing plant in Russia has forced Kazakhstan to sharply cut production at one of its largest energy fields — the Karachaganak field. Output has dropped by as much as a third, already affecting export volumes and international partners, Orda.kz reports.

According to Reuters, production at Karachaganak fell by 25–30% after the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant in Russia halted operations following the strike. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy confirmed on Sunday that the facility had temporarily stopped receiving gas from Karachaganak.

The Orenburg plant, located just across the border, processes around nine billion cubic meters of gas annually from Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field before it is reimported for domestic use.

Kyiv claimed responsibility for strikes on energy facilities in both the Orenburg and Samara regions — roughly 1,700 kilometers from Ukraine’s border — as part of a campaign targeting Russia’s fuel infrastructure.

Following the attack, Karachaganak’s production reportedly fell to 25,000–28,000 tonnes per day, down from its usual 35,000–35,500 tonnes. The Orenburg facility, controlled by Gazprom, may partially resume operations soon, but no official timeline for full restoration has been provided.

In 2024, Karachaganak produced approximately 263,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with exports routed through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium to the Black Sea and the Druzhba pipeline to Europe.

The project is operated by an international consortium including Chevron (18%), Shell and Eni (29.25% each), Lukoil (13.5%), and KazMunayGas (10%).

Original Author: Alina Pak