Sinopec and Kazakhstan reach agreement on polyethylene project

Sinopec and KazMunayGaz join forces to develop a major polyethylene project in Kazakhstan. This collaboration between the two key players in the oil industry aims to strengthen their partnership and exploit their respective advantages to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.

Share:

Gain full professional access to energynews.pro from 4.90$/month.
Designed for decision-makers, with no long-term commitment.

Over 30,000 articles published since 2021.
150 new market analyses every week to decode global energy trends.

Monthly Digital PRO PASS

Immediate Access
4.90$/month*

No commitment – cancel anytime, activation in 2 minutes.

*Special launch offer: 1st month at the indicated price, then 14.90 $/month, no long-term commitment.

Annual Digital PRO Pass

Full Annual Access
99$/year*

To access all of energynews.pro without any limits

*Introductory annual price for year one, automatically renewed at 149.00 $/year from the second year.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (HKG: 0386, “Sinopec”) signed a key agreement with KazMunayGaz, Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas operator, for the development of a polyethylene project in the Atyrau region on May 18 in Xi’an, China. The agreement, signed during Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to China, marks Sinopec’s commitment to participating and advancing the project as a cooperative partner.

The polyethylene project will be the largest natural gas and chemicals project in the region, and the investment decision is expected to be finalized in 2024. When Sinopec officially joins the project in the future, all parties will sign a share acquisition agreement and other relevant legally binding documents.

Solid cooperation

Sinopec and KazMunayGaz are long-standing partners with a solid base of cooperation, and the signing of this agreement takes their partnership to a new level. It will leverage Sinopec’s considerable advantages in engineering, marketing, sales, production and operations, as well as KazMunayGaz’s strong local market capabilities and wealth of resources, to promote mutually beneficial cooperation and achieve win-win development.

Sinopec is a listed company active in domestic and international markets, with integrated upstream, midstream and downstream operations. It has strong core businesses in oil and petrochemicals, as well as a comprehensive marketing network. Its parent company, China Petrochemical Corporation, is the world’s largest refiner and third-largest chemical company, ranked in the top five of Fortune’s Global 500.

Based in Astana, KazMunayGaz represents the interests of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the oil and gas industry. Its main activities cover oil and gas exploration and production, petroleum processing, sales of petroleum products, storage, pipelines and petroleum services.

Russia plans to ship 2.1 million barrels per day from its western ports in September, revising exports upward amid lower domestic demand following drone attacks on key refineries.
QatarEnergy obtained a 35% stake in the Nzombo block, located in deep waters off Congo, under a production sharing contract signed with the Congolese government.
Phillips 66 acquires Cenovus Energy’s remaining 50% in WRB Refining, strengthening its US market position with two major sites totalling 495,000 barrels per day.
Nigeria’s two main oil unions have halted loadings at the Dangote refinery, contesting the rollout of a private logistics fleet that could reshape the sector’s balance.
Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. enters Gabonese offshore with a strategic contract on the Ngulu block, expanding its portfolio with immediate production potential and long-term development opportunities.
BW Energy has finalised a $365mn financing for the conversion of the Maromba FPSO offshore Brazil and signed a short-term lease for a drilling rig with Minsheng Financial Leasing.
Vantage Drilling has finalised a major commercial agreement for the deployment of the Platinum Explorer, with a 260-day offshore mission starting in Q1 2026.
Permex Petroleum has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Chisos Ltd. for potential funding of up to $25mn to develop its oil assets in the Permian Basin.
OPEC+ begins a new phase of gradual production increases, starting to lift 1.65 million barrels/day of voluntary cuts after the early conclusion of a 2.2 million barrels/day phaseout.
Imperial Petroleum expanded its fleet to 19 vessels in the second quarter of 2025, while reporting a decline in revenue due to lower rates in the maritime oil market.
Eight OPEC+ members will meet to adjust their quotas as forecasts point to a global surplus of 3 million barrels per day by year-end.
A key station on the Stalnoy Kon pipeline, essential for transporting petroleum products between Belarus and Russia, was targeted in a drone strike carried out by Ukrainian forces in Bryansk Oblast.
The European Union’s new import standard forces the United Kingdom to make major adjustments to its oil and gas exports, impacting competitiveness and trade flows between the two markets.
The United Kingdom is set to replace the Energy Profits Levy with a new fiscal mechanism, caught between fairness and simplicity, as the British Continental Shelf continues to decline.
The Italian government is demanding assurances on fuel supply security before approving the sale of Italiana Petroli to Azerbaijan's state-owned energy group SOCAR, as negotiations continue.
The Dangote complex has halted its main gasoline unit for an estimated two to three months, disrupting its initial exports to the United States.
Rosneft Germany announces the resumption of oil deliveries to the PCK refinery, following repairs to the Druzhba pipeline hit by a drone strike in Russia that disrupted Kazakh supply.
CNOOC has launched production at the Wenchang 16-2 field in the South China Sea, supported by 15 development wells and targeting a plateau of 11,200 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2027.
Viridien and TGS have started a new 3D multi-client seismic survey in Brazil’s Barreirinhas Basin, an offshore zone still unexplored but viewed as strategic for oil exploration.
Taiwan accuses China of illegally installing twelve oil structures in the South China Sea, fuelling tensions over disputed territorial sovereignty.

Log in to read this article

You'll also have access to a selection of our best content.