Shymkent-based oil refinery suspended for overhaul

Shymkent-based oil refinery has suspended its operation for a 30-day-long period for a scheduled overhaul, the Press Service of PetroKazkahstan Oil Products reported. “From October 19 to November 19 the Shymkent-based oil refinery owned by PetroKazkahstan Oil Products will be suspended for an overhaul (…) The schedule of the repairs has been coordinated with the nation’s Oil and Gas Ministry”, the Company reported. October 4 Tengrinews.kz reported, citing Minister of Oil and Gas Sauat Mynbayev speaking at the VI KAZENERGY international forum in Astana, that Kazakhstan had been behind the schedule to overhaul its oil refineries. According to him, “timely expansion of the capacities could have neutralized price fluctuations and fuel shortages in the domestic market”. He said earlier that, “overhaul of the three refineries [based in Pavlodar, Shymkent and Atyrau] will enable to raise processing to 17.5 million tons, introducing deeper conversion to start producing petrol in line with Euro-5 emission standards”. As of today the refineries process a bit over 13 million tons a year. “After 2019-2020 plans are there to construct another refinery”, Mynbayev said. Mid-July Tengrinews.kz reported, citing PM Karim Massimov, that a special survey had been made and it had shown that it was more feasible for Kazakhstan to upgrade three existing plants, rather than construct a new one. Construction of the fourth plant would cost the country $6 billion, while reconstruction of existing refineries will cost $2.5-3 billion. Massimov said that modernization of existing plants would finish not later than on January 1, 2015. Tengrinews.kz reported that In January – July 2011 petrol production in Kazakhstan had dropped 16% as compared to the like period of 2010. According to the stats, production figure for the period made up 1.5 million tons, 15.9% down against the same period of 2010.