Kazakhstan to Auction 30 Oil Exploration Tracts on July 29
The Ministry of Energy will offer blocks across six regions with more than 9 billion barrels of oil equivalent in estimated resources. Application deadline is June 30.
business-standard.comKazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy will auction 30 exploration tracts covering roughly 53,000 square kilometers on July 29, 2026. The tracts lie in the regions of Aktobe, West Kazakhstan, Atyrau, Mangystau, Ulytau, and Kostanay. The offered acreage is estimated by the ministry to hold more than 9 billion barrels of oil equivalent in hydrocarbon resource potential.
Signature bonuses range from around $30,000 to about $260,000 for the Tyubedzhik block. 5 million. Work programs require reprocessing of legacy seismic data, new 2D seismic, 3D seismic where specified, and at least one exploration well.
Exploration terms run up to six years and production terms run up to 25 years. The application deadline is June 30, 2026. The auction forms part of Kazakhstan’s 12th hydrocarbon licensing round. Shell signed an exploration agreement for the Zhanaturmys block in March 2026.
State companies KazMunayGas and QazaqGaz maintain advancing exploration agreements with BP, Sinopec, CNOOC, CNPC, Eni, Chevron, and Shell. The Precaspian Basin blocks sit near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium route and the KazTransOil system. North Ustyurt offers larger-scale exploration opportunity with BP’s recent engagement on both Kazakh and Uzbek sides.
South Torgay is a proven oil and gas province around the Kumkol-Akshabulak fairway where CNPC holds an established presence through PetroKazakhstan. Mangyshlak provides opportunity around the Tyub-Karagan peninsula, including the discovered Tyubedzhik field near the Dunga production trend. 15 million barrels per day.
Com reported the auction details.
