Kazakhstan Seeks New Oil Export Routes Amid CPC Disruptions

Kazakhstan is exploring new oil export routes after temporary disruptions to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in July.

The CPC, which carries oil from western Kazakhstan to a marine terminal near Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, was restricted during scheduled maintenance and drone attacks on tankers. This led to some volumes being diverted through alternative routes, including the Aktau port and the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline toward China.

The Energy Ministry is now considering additional export options, including transportation through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan system and trans-Caspian shipments through Azerbaijan. Specifically, they are looking at increasing oil intake to 2.2 million tons annually through the BTC route, which currently handles approximately 1.5 million tons per year.

The Baku-Supsa route is also under consideration, providing another option for Kazakh oil to reach the Supsa terminal on Georgia's Black Sea coast.