Kazakhstan and Russia are jointly exploring the possibility of increasing the transit of Russian oil to China, Kazakh Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov announced, Sputnik Kazakhstan reports.
Speaking at a media briefing, the minister said that the Russian company Transneft has proposed boosting deliveries to as much as 2.5 million tons per year.
“Transneft and KazTransOil are currently working on assessing the technical feasibility. I believe this work will be completed soon, and we will then have a definitive answer,” Akkenzhenov stated.
He noted that, preliminarily, the issue could be resolved without the need to build new pumping stations - by using specialized additives.
The minister also addressed the topic of Kazakh oil transit via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) route. In 2024, 1.4 million tons were exported through this corridor, and in 2025, the plan is to increase this volume to 1.7 million tons. About 800,000 tons have already been transported in the first half of the current year.
Akkhenzhenov emphasized that work on expanding oil transport routes is ongoing. An increase in Russian oil transit through Kazakhstan could strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries and enhance their positions in the Chinese market.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 1, 2025