Kazakhstan’s Oil Production, Exports Shrink by 20% in Q1

Kazakhstan’s oil production fell sharply in the first quarter of the year due to “the situation concerning the CPC and Tengiz,” energy minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on April 14.In the first three months of 2026, Kazakhstan produced 19.7 million tons, down 19.8% year-on-year, and exported 15.3 million tons, down 21.5%. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) handles around 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, transporting crude from the fields in the west of the country to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.Repeated attacks on CPC marine terminals by Ukrainian drones have caused multiple loading stoppages.This prompted producers in Kazakhstan to slow output to avoid bottlenecks and storage constraints.Separately, at Tengiz — Kazakhstan’s largest oil field in the western Atyrau region — operations were also disrupted due to an accident in January.The project, developed under a 30-year-old agreement with US oil major Chevron, is operated by the Tengizchevroil joint venture and is the country’s most profitable oil asset.The ministry now forecasts annual production at around 94 million tons, down from a previous estimate of 100.5 million tons.Additional reporting by Tamara Vaal.Sign up for our English-language newsletter.