ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 23. Kazakhstan is ready to consider the possibility of expanding oil exports to the EU, in particular to Croatia, said the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Croatia Akylbek Kamaldinov at a meeting with the Chairman of the Board of Jadranski Naftovod (JANAF) Stepan Adanić, Trend reports.
The ambassador noted that Kazakhstan is a major supplier of energy to world markets, possessing the second-largest proven oil reserves in Eurasia.
"Given that 70 percent of Kazakhstan's oil exports go to the EU, the country is ready to consider opportunities to expand its exports to the EU and Croatia in particular and contribute to mitigating the global energy crisis," he said.
In this regard, JANAF management expressed interest in expanding the volume of exports of Kazakh oil to consumers in the Balkan and Eastern European countries through the Croatian Adria oil pipeline.
The parties agreed to begin practical negotiations on the possible use of this route for transporting Kazakh oil. For these purposes, in the near future, representatives of KazMunayGas JSC (KMG, Kazakhstan's national company) plan to visit the cities of Zagreb and Rijeka, as well as get acquainted with the capabilities of the Omišalj oil terminal on the island of Krk.
During the meeting, an agreement was also reached on the creation of a separate Working Group on Energy within the Kazakh-Croatian intergovernmental commission and the Business Council and holding its first meeting online. The working group will bring together government agencies, businessmen, and investors in this area.
The Croatian company JANAF operates an oil terminal on the island of Krk, an oil refinery in Rijeka and the Adria oil pipeline system in Croatia.
The volume of oil production in 2022 in Kazakhstan amounted to 84.2 million tons, or 101.6 percent of the planned figure.
The Tengiz field produced 29.2 million tons of oil, or 100 percent of the 2022 plan. Oil production at the Karachaganak field amounted to 11.3 million tons, or 103.8 percent of the plan. At Kashagan, oil production amounted to 12.7 million tons, or 109.5 percent.
Oil exports in 2022 reached 64.3 million tons, or 103.4 percent of the plan.
Kazakhstan also plans to produce 90.5 million tons of oil in 2023, of which 71 million are planned to be exported.
The volume of oil production in Kazakhstan at the end of 2021 amounted to 85.9 million tons; in 2020, it was 85.7 million tons.