KazMunaiGas, Kazakhstan’s state oil company, plans to increase crude exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline by 31% in 2026, targeting 1.7 million tonnes compared to 1.2 to 1.3 million tonnes in 2025. A five-year transit agreement signed with Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR guarantees a minimum commitment of 1.5 million tonnes per year. This strategy allows Kazakhstan to diversify away from Russian-controlled export routes, historically reliant on the CPC pipeline leading to Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, which has faced recurring disruptions. The BTC pipeline, operational since 2006 and primarily managed by BP, provides direct access to Mediterranean buyers via Ceyhan in Turkey.
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