Karachaganak Maintenance Slams Brakes on Kazakh Oil Production

Kazakhstan's oil and gas production is set to take a hit due to planned maintenance at the Karachaganak field, one of the country's largest oil fields. The maintenance, which began on September 7, is expected to reduce output by 400,000-450,000 metric tons before it ends on October 1.

This news comes in a year where Kazakhstan has already lowered its national production forecast due to repeated disruptions at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), the main export route for Kazakh oil. In August, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov announced that the country had lowered its 2026 oil production target from 98 million to 96 million metric tons.

The CPC has been plagued by disruptions this year, including attacks on its infrastructure in January, June, and July. These incidents have resulted in losses of around 3.5 million metric tons of oil production. In response, the Energy Ministry has emphasized that there is no full-scale alternative to the CPC for exporting Kazakh oil.