Erlan Akbarov Outlines Priorities for Technology Localization at KIOGE-2026 in Almaty

Almaty, September 30, 2026 – Deputy Minister of Energy Erlan Akbarov participated in the events of the 30th anniversary International Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference – KIOGE-2026.

The program began with the official opening ceremony of the exhibition at the Atakent Expo Center, bringing together over 500 companies from 62 countries. Erlan Akbarov, along with his foreign counterparts — UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei, Uzbekistan's Minister of Energy Sherzod Khodjaev, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Energy Altynbek Rysbekov, World Petroleum Council (WPC Energy) President Pedro Miras, and Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum Felipe Mshlebila — reviewed the developments in the international and Kazakhstani pavilions. The Deputy Minister emphasized that the primary task of the exhibition is the practical implementation of the presented technologies in production and transforming business contacts into long-term contracts.

At the plenary session "Global Integration: Kazakhstan's Role in New Energy Chains," Erlan Akbarov presented a strategic vision for the development of the energy complex. Four fundamental priorities were outlined: replenishing the resource base through deep horizon exploration, increasing oil recovery at mature fields, localizing production, and transitioning to deep processing of hydrocarbons.

"Our key focus is technology localization and establishing real production facilities within Kazakhstan. This event should serve a concrete practical purpose: we must shift from importing finished equipment to creating our own production capacities, developing domestic engineering, and creating new jobs," emphasized Erlan Akbarov, according to the statement.

During the strategic session "Intelligent Upstream: from Seismic to Well," the Deputy Minister elaborated on the geological exploration drilling and subsurface digitalization program. The state is creating conditions for investment inflow: electronic auctions for underexplored areas are conducted within 10 working days of application submission, with a mandatory requirement for seismic work covering at least 30% of the area. In 2026, approximately 80 exploratory wells are expected to be drilled, with this number rising to 120 annually in 2027–2028.

In response to the moderator's questions, Erlan Akbarov reported that the ministry has formed a portfolio of 45 projects involving artificial intelligence technologies. In geological exploration, a pilot project on digitizing and reinterpretation of archival data is being implemented jointly with Shell and the National Geological Service. In extraction, a domestic system for online monitoring of over 4,000 wells has been deployed, with an expected economic effect of up to 1 billion tenge per year due to a 20% reduction in downtimes. In regulation, the procedures of the Central Commission on Exploration and Development are being transitioned into a unified digital framework, with human accountability remaining the principal aspect in decision-making, while artificial intelligence acts as a supplementary tool.

A panel session dedicated to technological independence focused on oil and gas engineering and petrochemistry. The Deputy Minister emphasized that local content should not be reduced to formal reporting but must transform into the creation of real factories, jobs, and competence development. To ensure predictable demand, five-year and ten-year offtake contracts are being implemented. Domestic machine builders are expected to take reciprocal responsibility in terms of quality, competitive pricing, and adherence to delivery timelines. Concluding the session, Erlan Akbarov invited industrialists to actively participate in the upcoming sectoral forum on October 16 in the city of Uralsk focused on the development of oil and gas engineering to form direct orders with operators of major fields.

The final event of the day was the Deputy Minister's participation in the ceremonial event at the Almaty Theatre. Erlan Akbarov presented the honorary industry awards "Legend of KIOGE" to esteemed geologists, drillers, and engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the establishment and development of Kazakhstan's independent oil and gas sector.

reported by ЖКХ24 quoting the Ministry of Energy's website.

Photo: gov.kz