Kazakhstan Boosts Output, Exports
Kazakhstan produced 4.4% more sales gas and exported 10.4% more gas in 2018 compared with the year before, according to data published January 18.
The national statistics committee said including gas that was flared or reinjected the total production was 55.5bn m3, of which 41% was dry gas, about 5% more than 2017. It did not elaborate on the total sale gas volume, but energy minister Kanat Bozumbayev put the volume at 33bn m3, about 4.4% more than 2017.
The central Asian country exported 19bn m3 or 10.4% more year on year, of which 5.8bn m3 went to China. That is about 5.3 times more than in the year before.
Kazakhstan hopes to boost exports to China to 10bn m3 this year. China has been taking less LNG lately than it did in 2017 as the economy has weakened year on year, but it still needs gas for power generation and heating and pipeline gas deliveries might be cheaper.
The country also produced 77.5mn metric tons of crude oil (6.2% growth year on year) and 12.86mn mt of gas condensate (3.2% growth year on year) in 2018.