Orenburg Plant Fire Disrupts Processing of Kazakh Gas; Domestic Supply Remains Stable

On the night of October 19, authorities in Russia’s Orenburg and Samara regions issued drone threat alerts, temporarily halting arrivals and departures at local airports, Orda.kz reports.

In Samara, the Novokuibyshevsk Oil Refinery caught fire once again. Ukrainian monitoring channels shared videos taken by local residents showing a bright glow and heavy smoke rising from the refinery.

A gas processing plant in the Orenburg region also caught fire following reported strikes. Residents reported hearing between five and seven explosions, followed by flashes and rising smoke. Orenburg Governor Yevgeny Solntsev stated on his official Telegram channel that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were responsible for the attack, though no official comment has been made from Kyiv.

According to the governor, parts of the facility’s infrastructure were damaged, and one workshop caught fire. He confirmed that there were no casualties and that the blaze posed no immediate threat to the city.

Meanwhile, the fire at the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant — considered one of the largest gas chemical complexes in the world — raises concerns for Kazakhstan. The facility processes up to nine billion cubic meters of gas annually from Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field, which supplies part of the country’s domestic gas demand.

In July, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy announced the suspension of the Karachaganak Gas Processing Plant project after foreign partners sought to shift costs to the national budget. By September, companies including Eni, Shell, Chevron, and Lukoil had reportedly resumed work on the project.

Following reports of the fire, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy confirmed that gas deliveries from Karachaganak to the Orenburg facility have been temporarily suspended. The Russian side has not yet disclosed the extent of the damage or when operations might resume.

The ministry emphasized that Kazakhstan’s domestic gas supply remains stable, with no disruptions to consumers. Officials are monitoring the situation and coordinating with Russian authorities and field operators.

Original Author: Natalia Ovchinnikova