BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 20. Kazakhstan's export of fuel oil through railway is expected to increase in 2023, Argus, an independent analytical company, said in its latest review, Trend reports.
According to the report, fuel oil export from Kazakhstan's largest refineries this year may reach 2.2-2.5 million tons. For comparison, these figures in 2022 stood at 2.19 million tons, and in 2021 - at 1.61 million tons.
The analysts noted that this is due to the growth of fuel oil production in 2023, which is forecast to stand at 2.84 million tons, which is an increase, compared to 2022 (2.81 million tons), and 2021 (2.41 million tons).
As in previous years, Kazakh exporters will focus on shipments of dark petroleum products, since motor fuel is expected to be supplied only to the domestic market, the report said.
"This will lead to the preservation of demand for railway tanks for the export transportation of fuel oil and vacuum gasoil, while the fleet for the transportation of light petroleum products will mainly be used domestically, as market participants believe," the Argus analysts noted.
Meanwhile, as Argus expects, Kazakhstan's oil output in 2023 will stand at 90.5 million tons, of which 71 million tons will be exported. The refining capacity is projected at 17.9 million tons, a little down from last year figure.