Kazakhstan, Astana, September 20/ Trend E.Kosolapova/
Kazakhstan will need to construct a new modern refinery in the nearest future, senior fellow of the Institute of Economics of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Education and Science Oleg Yegorov said.
"One of our current refineries - Atyrau refinery operates since 1945 and two others since 80s. They are old productions, both morally and physically," Yegorov told Trend on Friday.
According to him, negotiations on the necessity of reconstruction of all three refineries are being held for 10 years, but funds for these aims are allocated within five years. However, there are no any remarkable improvements in the country's refinery sphere.
In addition, due to the fact that the refinery processes oil from different fields with different chemical content every day, the quality of finished product worsens.
"If we construct a refinery for particular oil, for example, for the oil from Kashagan field, it will provide say, 6 million tons for the refinery's burden (the average volume of the refinery's processing). This oil will be sent to the refinery every year within 20-25 years and as a result we will get a sustainable production of high-quality products," Yegorov said.
According to him, the launch of Kashagan field causes need for new refinery.
"Huge volumes will be transported from Kashagan. The construction of a new refinery should be considered namely in the region which will prepare the oil for processing. It is necessary that about 90-92 per cent would be extracted and the minimum volume would remain in the form of heavy residue, but not as today when we extract about 60 per cent and burn about 40 per cent" the expert stressed.
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Earlier, Kazakh Oil and Gas Minister Uzakbai Karabalin said that the issue of construction of a new refinery is still under discussions.
"We will view the whole complex of enterprises which will emerge within the state program of forced industrial-innovative development, which will include a wide concentration of projects. Logically, it is possible to place the refinery there," Karabalin said.
According to the minister, it is necessary to develop a concept for the future plant.
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"The construction takes a lot of time itself, thus, this is a project for the future," he said.