Kazakhstan's mature oilfields 70% depleted, KMG plans new exploration

September 30, 2026 at 02:04 PM3 min

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KazMunaiGas first deputy chairman Kurmangazy Iskaziyev said at KIOGE 2026 that Kazakhstan's mature oilfields are nearly 70% depleted. The company has approved a new strategy targeting 32 of 143 objects across 12 key fields to raise oil recovery above design rates, adding 155 million tonnes. KMG is also preparing a large-scale exploration program with a resource potential of up to 60 billion tonnes of fuel equivalent.

Key Facts

KazMunaiGas operates 65 producing fields excluding Kashagan, Tengiz and Karachaganak, with 12 fields accounting for nearly 90% of output.
The 12 key fields do not reach design oil recovery factors under current conditions, prompting a new strategy that selects 32 of 143 objects for enhanced recovery.
The strategy is expected to add 155 million tonnes of oil and will deploy digital twin pilots such as Vostochny Moldabek across all 12 fields.
KMG is working with the energy ministry on 23 exploration projects including 3D seismic and deep drilling, focusing on Paleozoic deposits of the Caspian region with a resource potential of 4.7 billion tonnes.
A second exploration phase covers 60,000 linear km of 2D seismic in the south, east and north Caspian with a resource potential of up to 60 billion tonnes of fuel equivalent.

Depletion of Mature Fields

KazMunaiGas first deputy chairman Kurmangazy Iskaziyev told the KIOGE 2026 exhibition that mature fields in Kazakhstan and within KMG have depleted their reserves by nearly 70%. The national company holds 65 producing fields excluding the major projects Kashagan, Tengiz and Karachaganak, with 12 fields contributing almost 90% of production. Analysis of these 12 fields showed that under current conditions the company does not even reach the design oil recovery factors. Iskaziyev noted that maintaining stable production has a social dimension because these are old districts and settlements in western Kazakhstan where oil workers are concentrated.

New Recovery Strategy

KMG has prepared and approved a new strategy that selects 32 of 143 objects across the 12 key fields as the most promising for development. Applying the necessary methods will raise the oil recovery factor above design levels and is expected to add 155 million tonnes of oil in the future. New IT solutions will be deployed, including a pilot digital twin project at Vostochny Moldabek, with such ideas to be introduced at all 12 main producing fields.

Exploration Program

Iskaziyev said that Paleozoic fields discovered in the Soviet era such as Zhanazhol, Tengiz, Kashagan, Karachaganak and Urikhtau are all held by subsoil users, so KMG has prepared a large-scale geological exploration program for future decades. The program is divided into two parts, with KMG working with the energy ministry on 23 projects to obtain subsoil use contracts including 3D seismic and deep drilling. The main focus is Paleozoic deposits of the Caspian region, where the geological resource potential of fuel equivalent is 4.7 billion tonnes. The second part covers 60,000 linear km of 2D seismic in the south, east and north of the Caspian region, with a resource potential of up to 60 billion tonnes of fuel equivalent.