Kazakhstan’s bitumen makers to end 100/130-grade output from Nov. 1

Photo: KazMunayGas

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 23. Kazakhstan’s two major bitumen producers - the CASPI BITUM plant in Aktau and the Pavlodar Oil Chemistry Refinery (POCR) - will discontinue production of 100/130-grade road petroleum bitumen from November 1, 2026, according to KazMunayGas.

Both facilities will switch to producing grades of road petroleum bitumen tailored to the climatic conditions of Kazakhstan’s regions, in line with directives issued by the country’s government.

Under the revised production policy, 70/100-grade bitumen will be produced for the northern and central regions, while 50/70-grade bitumen will be designated for the southern regions.

Both plants play an important role in supplying Kazakhstan’s road construction sector with domestically produced bitumen. CASPI BITUM has an annual production capacity of 750,000 tons, while POCR can produce approximately 500,000 tons per year.

Together, the two facilities have a combined annual production capacity of 1.25 million tons, compared with Kazakhstan’s estimated annual road bitumen demand of 1.2 million tons.

According to KazMunayGas (KMG), CASPI BITUM produced 221,000 tonnes of road bitumen in January-August 2026, nearly 50% more than in the same period last year. The company increased shipments to 220,000 tonnes from 147,000 tonnes in January-August 2025, also representing growth of approximately 50%.