In 2024, Kazakhstan will increase the transit of Turkmen and Uzbek gas to China to 37.1 billion cubic meters (+1.5 billion cu m). This was announced at a government meeting on Tuesday, July 16, by Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev, who reported on the current state and prospects for the development of the gas industry.
The report also discussed the transit of Russian gas to Central Asian countries.
Last October, the transit of Russian gas to Uzbekistan was launched. “1.28 billion cu m were transported in 2023, this year it is planned to increase [transit] to 3.8 billion cu m,” the minister said.
Discussions are also underway to increase Russian gas transit to Kyrgyzstan.
Gas production to grow
Kazakhstan is set to increase its natural gas production in 2024, targeting a total of 60.5 billion cu m. This represents a 2.3% increase compared to 2023’s figures.
The country is well on its way to achieving this goal, having already produced 30 billion cubic meters in H1 2024, which is 50% of the annual target.
This positive trend is expected to continue, driven by contributions from major gas fields like Karachaganak, Tengiz, and Kashagan.
Kazakhstan is expanding its gas production infrastructure
To further boost domestic gas production, Kazakhstan plans to build four new gas processing plants between 2026 and 2030:
- Kashagan Field: Two plants will process raw materials from the Kashagan field, with capacities of 1 billion and 2.5 billion cubic meters per year.
- Karachaganak Field: A new plant with a capacity of 4 billion cubic meters per year will be built at the Karachaganak field.
- Zhanaozen: a new facility with a capacity of 900 million cubic meters per year will be built.
The Qatari investor UCC Holding has been involved in the project of gas processing plants at the Kashagan field. Currently, the deal is finalized between JSC NC QazaqGaz and UCC Holding.