Kazakhstan’s authorities plan to privatize two of the country’s three largest oil refineries—the Atyrau Oil Refinery and the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant—according to a report by Ulysmedia.kz. Both facilities have been included in the finalized privatization list, with implementation targeted for 2028. The Shymkent Oil Refinery, meanwhile, is already 50% owned by China’s CNPC; its further restructuring is not currently under discussion.
On November 21, the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition (APDC) released the definitive list of 473 state-owned enterprises slated for transfer to private ownership over the coming years. An additional ~250 enterprises - including those with state stakes below 50% in IT, geology, oilfield services, and construction—are scheduled for review in 2026.
Among the high-profile assets earmarked for privatization are the Kirov Almaty Machine-Building Plant (2026), AlmatyElectroTrans (by 2030), football clubs “Astana” and “Ordabasy”, the Shymkent city bus operator Shymkent Bus, and - even - a metropolitan funeral services complex. The oil refineries are expected to be privatized under a hybrid model: Samruk-Energo (a subsidiary of the sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna) will retain 50% minus one share, while the remaining equity will be offered to a strategic investor.
Earlier reports had named Russia’s Tatneft as a potential bidder for a stake in the Atyrau refinery. However, Samruk-Kazyna has declined to confirm this, citing the National Privatization Office’s sole authority over the process—an office that has since verified the refineries’ inclusion in the privatization roadmap. An open two-stage tender is intended to ensure deal transparency and competitiveness.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
3 декабря 2025 года