No further licensing of minor oil refineries: Minister of Oil and Gas Sauat Mynbayev

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Oil and Gas Sauat Mynbayev suggests abolishing further licensing of minor oil refineries, Novosti Kazakhstan reports. “As of today, there are a total of 35 oil refineries: 3 large-scaled ones and 32 minor facilities. As far as minor oil refineries are concerned, we want to amend the applicable legislation in order to stop further licensing”, the Minister said when answering Senators’ questions June 16. “The only essential requirement will be to produce gasoline and diesel fuel in line with Euro-2 emission standards currently in effect and Euro-4 and 5 to be introduced later on”, he said. According to the Minister, most of the 32 minor facilities are not in operable condition. “They are not producing fuel in line with Euro-2 standards. Most of their products have been banned for circulation at the domestic market. Their semi-products are mostly exported”, Mr. Mynbayev said. Mid-May the Minister had said that “before the year 2020 processing capacities of the current three large refineries [based in Pavlodar, Atyrau and Shymkent] can meet the domestic demand”. According to him, the three refineries process a bit over 13 million tons a year. Plans are there to increase oil processing up to 17 million tons by 2015. In 2010, the three refineries processed a total of 13.7 million tons of crude, 570 000 tons over the plan.