Karachaganak maintenance to cut Kazakhstan oil output by up to 450,000 tons

September 16, 2026 at 04:34 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Karachaganak field entered planned maintenance on September 7, cutting Kazakhstan's oil and condensate output by 400,000–450,000 metric tons through October 1. The shutdown adds to a year of repeated CPC export disruptions that forced the government to lower its 2026 production target to 96 million tons.

Key Facts

Karachaganak maintenance from September 7 to October 1 will reduce Kazakhstan's oil and gas condensate output by 400,000–450,000 metric tons.
Kazakhstan lowered its 2026 oil production target from 98 million to 96 million metric tons, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said in August.
CPC loadings rebounded 22% in August to about 1.6 million barrels per day after July disruptions, but are expected to fall to 1.5 million bpd in September partly due to Karachaganak maintenance.
On July 22, Kazakhstan's oil and gas condensate output fell about 21%, while Tengiz output dropped 56% from roughly 925,000 to 406,000 bpd.
KPO's KEP-1B project with a sixth gas reinjection compressor began reinjecting gas ahead of schedule in June 2026, helping sustain Karachaganak liquids output at 11–12 million tons per year.

Maintenance Impact

Karachaganak, one of Kazakhstan's three largest oil and gas fields, entered planned maintenance on September 7. The shutdown is expected to reduce national oil and gas condensate output by 400,000–450,000 metric tons before work ends on October 1. CPC exports are expected to fall to about 1.5 million barrels per day in September, partly because of the Karachaganak maintenance. More than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports move through CPC.

Export Constraints

In August, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said Kazakhstan lowered its 2026 oil production target from 98 million to 96 million metric tons. He put production losses from attacks on CPC infrastructure in January, June, and July at about 3.5 million metric tons. On July 22, Kazakhstan's oil and gas condensate output fell by about 21%, while output at Tengiz dropped 56%, from roughly 925,000 to 406,000 bpd. In May, Akkenzhenov said there was no full-scale alternative to CPC, as routes via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan or China cannot absorb CPC-scale volumes.

Karachaganak Processing

Karachaganak depends on Russian processing infrastructure, sending raw gas to Russia's Orenburg gas processing plant. In June, Karachaganak reduced production after an incident at the plant sharply curtailed its intake of gas from the field. KPO is expanding gas reinjection capacity to maintain reservoir pressure and sustain oil and gas condensate output. A fifth gas reinjection compressor began operating in 2024, and in June 2026 KPO announced the KEP-1B project with a sixth compressor began reinjecting gas ahead of schedule. The Energy Ministry said the two compressors would help maintain Karachaganak's liquid hydrocarbon production at around 11–12 million metric tons a year.