ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 26. Production of RON-95 gasoline in Kazakhstan will be about 65,000 tons in October, with a planned consumption of 80,000 tons, said Vice Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov, Trend reports.
"But our projected balances for September will help us get through October. And according to the expectations of the Ministry of Energy, a shortage of RON-95 gasoline is not predicted. We can provide ourselves with this gasoline. The question is broader. If we take three factories that produce RON-95 gasoline, their total production is 120,000 tons per month, with a consumption of 80,000–85,000 tons. But due to the fact that the heat exchanger at the Shymkent oil refinery has broken down and we are waiting for a new one, the plant is only operating at half capacity," he said.
As he noted, the current reserves of RON-95 gasoline in the country will fully meet the country's needs in the next couple of months, a shortage is not predicted.
The Vice Minister noted that today Kazakhstan and Russia have signed indicative balances for the supply of 40,000 tons of gasoline.
"At the moment, we have sent a letter to the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation about increasing this indicative balance by 70,000 tons. This will be about 110,000 tons," he said.
He also added that it is planned to shut down the Atyrau oil refinery from October 1 to November 3. Accordingly, neither gasoline nor diesel fuel will be produced. However, the vice minister noted that the repair period will pass without a deficit.
Akkenzhenov also commented on the ban on the export of gasoline and diesel fuel from the Russian Federation.
"The decree of the Russian government states that exports to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Community are allowed according to signed indicative balances. Today we signed these balances with the Russian Federation. Therefore, these restrictions do not apply to Kazakhstan. Accordingly, we will not have such problems," he added.