Kazakhstan aims to expand oil exports via Caspian Sea to 20M tons per year

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Kazakhstan aims to increase oil exports via the Caspian Sea to 20 million tons annually, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during a speech at the port city of Aktau, the capital of the southwestern Mangystau region.

"We need to activate all the available capacities of the Aktau and Kurik ports in order to increase the oil transport volume (on this route) to 20 million tons per year," Tokayev said during his speech, adding that the development of the Trans-Caspian International Route is of “particular importance.”

Tokayev further noted that the city of Aktau and the role of the Caspian Sea has increased dramatically due to changes in global logistics chains, further calling the city “the sea gate of Kazakhstan.”

“We plan to implement a number of measures aimed at attracting investments in the development of port infrastructure, the creation of containers and transport and logistics hubs,” Tokayev added.

He also said one of the successful examples of investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and foreign countries is the project to create a center for the production of green hydrogen.

“Last week, during the official visit of President of the European Council Charles Michel, Kazakhstan and a German-Swedish company signed a corresponding investment agreement. The investor plans to organize the production of green hydrogen in the Mangystau region. A desalination plant with a capacity of 255,000 cubic meters per day, and a 40-gigawatt renewable energy station is also planned to be built,” he noted.

The Trans-Caspian International Route, also called the Middle Corridor, is a network of railways and roads that start in Türkiye and covers Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, and Central Asia, and reaches China, making it an important effort to revive the ancient Silk Road.