ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 11. Kazakhstan has
signed more than 320 hydrocarbon subsoil use contracts, with
significant investment continuing in geological exploration, Deputy
Minister of Energy Kayyrkhan Tutkyshbaev said at a government
meeting, Trend
reports.
As of September 2025, 324 contracts are in effect: 15 for
exploration, 170 for both exploration and production, 131 for
production, and 8 under production sharing agreements.
Tutkyshbaev noted that 80 billion tenge ($152.6 million) has
been invested in geological exploration in the first nine months of
2025. For comparison, around 150 billion tenge ($286.1 million) and
160 billion tenge ($305.1 million) were invested in 2023 and 2024,
respectively. He added that by the end of 2025, total exploration
investments are expected to match or exceed the levels of previous
years.
The deputy minister also highlighted that the hydrocarbon sector
currently employs about 220,000 people, covering exploration,
production, processing, transportation, and oilfield services.
