Russia turns to Kazakhstan to ease worsening fuel shortage
Photo: A Russian gas station (Getty Images)
The Kondensat oil refinery in Kazakhstan will process Russian crude oil and supply the lion's share of the produced gasoline and diesel back to Russia, Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov said, according to Radio Azattyq.
According to the minister, Kazakhstan and Russia have already reached an agreement. There are no legal obstacles to importing crude, as the owner of the Kazakh refinery is not subject to international sanctions.
Under the agreement, up to 70% of the gasoline and diesel produced at the refinery will be shipped to Russia, while the remaining 30% of the petroleum products will be used to meet domestic demand in Kazakhstan.
Logistics and refinery capacity
Supplies of Russian crude to the refinery could begin in the near future. The oil will be transported by rail, as the facility is located near the Russian border but is not connected to the main oil pipeline network.
The volume of crude the refinery can process will depend directly on the capacity of the railway infrastructure. The privately owned Kondensat refinery has an annual processing capacity of up to 850,000 metric tons.
This is not the first time the refinery has worked with Russian businesses. Since 2024, Kondensat has received orders from Russian oil company Tatneft, which is under sanctions imposed by the UK and Canada.
Russia is forced to urgently ramp up purchases of gasoline and jet fuel from Asian countries amid a second wave of severe fuel shortages.
Meanwhile, a Russian Orthodox Church priest has called on Russians to accept fuel shortages with humility and refrain from voicing their dissatisfaction to government officials.
