The Government of Kazakhstan has approved its 2025–2040 strategy for the development of its oil refining industry. The country plans to more than double its refining capacity from 18 Mt/year to 39 Mt/year by expanding existing refineries and building a new petrochemical complex, which should increase the depth of processing from 89% to 94%. The strategy also plans to switch to renewable energy sources in production, to fully supply the domestic market with high-quality petroleum products, and to strengthen exports to China, India and Central Asian countries, raising the share of exports in total production to 30% by 2040. The strategy will be launched in 2025 as a pilot project for the digitalization of oil refineries.
Despite its significant crude oil production, Kazakhstan has long imported oil products from Russia due to the lack of refining capacity. The country has a total refining capacity of 370 kb/d (around 18.5 Mt/year), spread over three refineries: Atyrau (110 kb/d), Pavlodar (140 kb/d), and Shymkent (120 kb/d).