Kazakhstan denies allegations of refinery sales to Russian companies
The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan has denied information about the sale of the country's oil refineries to Russian companies, said Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev during a briefing, Azernews reports.
"Nobody applied to the Ministry of Energy for approval of such transactions. Therefore, I agree with KazMunayGas’ (Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company) opinion that it is premature to talk about any commercial transactions. In general, in Kazakhstan, there are already refineries that are 50/50 owned by KMG and CNPC; in particular, this is the Shymkent Oil Refinery in the south of the country, where there are private mini-refineries. From the point of view of the Ministry of Energy, what is important here is not so much the form of ownership as management efficiency, implementation of investment programs, and stable operation," the minister said.
Meanwhile, information about the sale of the Atyrau Oil Refinery to Lukoil and the Pavlodar Oil Refinery to Gazprom was spread on social networks.
Furthermore, the Shymkent Oil Refinery has temporarily ceased operations. The plant's operations were suspended due to the start of repair work.
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