Kazakhstan Jan-April Oil Production: 23.5 Million Tons

Astana, Kazakhstan (AHN) - Crude production in Kazakhstan's oil fields increased by an annual 6.3 percent from January to April this year, a government official announced.

"Since the beginning of 2008 Kazakhstan has produced about 23.5 million tons of oil with gas condensate that is 106.3 per cent as to the corresponding period of the previous year," Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Sauat Mynbayev told local media in a telephone conference on Monday.

Kazakhstan's three refineries processed 4.13 million tons in the first four months of the year, an increase of 5.4 percent from a year earlier, KAZINFORM News said.

The Central Asian country is the second largest oil producer after Russia in the former Soviet Union countries.

The Energy Minister also said that oil plants shipped 827.1 thousand tons of petroleum, 1.111 million tons of diesel fuel, 916.7 thousand tons of oil-fuel for the same period.

In addition, Kazakhstan shipped 1.7 times more jet fuel than last year, the news report said.