The Kazakh Ministry of Energy, the regional authorities of the East Kazakhstan Region and YPP Corporation, a South Korean energy engineering company, have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for the development of a green hydrogen and ammonia complex in the East Kazakhstan Region (Times of Central Asia, 17/09/2026). The USD2bn project is expected to produce up to 55 kt/year of hydrogen or 310 kt/year of ammonia from 1 GW of wind and solar capacity. YPP had already signed a framework agreement with Kazakh Invest to develop the project in July 2025.
In addition, the country has started preparing a preliminary feasibility study for the construction of a fourth oil refinery with a processing capacity of up to 10 Mt/year (Kazinform, 16/09/2026). The feasibility study, design, construction and commissioning of the plant are scheduled to be completed within seven years, with the refinery expected to come online by 2033. The final site and plant cost will be determined following the completion of pre-project studies.
If completed, the project would increase Kazakhstan's total oil refining capacity to nearly 40 Mt/year. In 2025, the country produced 21 Mt of oil products (+4.5%/year since 2020), compared with domestic consumption of 17 Mt (+4.9%/year).