ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 14. The oil refineries of KazMunayGas JSC (KMG, Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company) - Atyrau Refinery, Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant and Shymkent Refinery since 2018 have successfully undergone modernization and are now ready to produce Jet A-1 jet fuel that meets the international ASTM standard, the company told Trend.
Comprehensive technical audits were carried out, including by one of the world leaders in the field of fuel supply, the SkyTanking company, production technologies were approved, and the necessary equipment was purchased for detailed fuel certification.
Despite all this, the existing infrastructure at Kazakh airports and transport and logistics segments is not technically fit to use this brand of jet fuel. For a complete transition to Jet-A1, the entire supply chain must be prepared - from export from the refinery to the wing of an aircraft accredited to international standards.
"In particular, it is unacceptable to use different types of aviation fuel simultaneously in a storage system. Requires fuel system cleaning and/or use of a separate reservoir. Also, airport laboratories should be equipped with equipment for receiving fuel according to international standards," said KazMunayGas.
The company noted that, in 2018, KMG Aero, a subsidiary of KazMunayGas, with the participation of foreign partners, assessed the condition and operational readiness of the fuel infrastructure, as well as the fulfillment of conditions for a successful transition to Jet-A1. Agreements have been signed with the world's leading companies in this area, providing for joint activities to prepare domestic airports.
"In general, the current plans of Kazakh airlines to switch to Jet-A1 with the participation of international suppliers will speed up the processes of modernization and adaptation at Kazakh airports and begin production of jet fuel of this brand at the KMG refinery," the company added.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has a back-up plan to speed up the transition to new fuel. Previously, Kazakh Air Astana airline and PetroChina International Kazakhstan (engaged in wholesale supplies of petroleum products) signed a Memorandum of Strategic Partnership. As part of the document, the parties intend to cooperate on the supply of jet fuel, as well as to work on creating infrastructure and transition to Jet A-1.
Due to the lack of production of this type of fuel in Kazakhstan, the parties also discussed the possibility of importing Jet A-1 and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) directly from oil refineries in China.