Kazakhstan To Import 500,000 Tonnes of Bitumen From Russia

Kazakhstan plans to import 500,000 tonnes of bitumen from Russia this year and determine imports for 2025, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Energy. Bitumen is commonly used in the construction industry. The average price is about US$500 a tonne.

Kazakhstan’s annual demand is about 1 million tonnes, with the country capable of producing 1.2 million tonnes of bitumen per year, however, actual production is lower due to a lack of raw materials. The ministry plans to hold “new negotiations with the Russian side to conclude an indicative balance for 2025”.

Kazakhstan and Russia are members of the Eurasian Economic Union, which reduces or eliminates import tariffs on traded products. Russia is the world’s third largest producer of Bitumen, after China and the United States, producing 7.63 million tonnes in 2023.