Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy has announced an electronic auction for subsoil use rights for hydrocarbons. A total of 24 subsoil plots intended for exploration and production of hydrocarbons will be put up for auction, as reported by infohub.kz.
The electronic auction will take place on November 18, 2026, on the e-qazyna.kz platform. Applications for participation will be accepted until October 5, 2026, inclusive.
According to the Ministry's materials, the plots are located in the Atyrau, Aktobe, West Kazakhstan, Kostanay, Pavlodar, Kyzylorda regions, and the Ulytau region. Among them are both large promising areas for geological exploration and small deposits already intended for production.
According to the ministry, some of the most promising objects are the Severny Turgai-1 and Severny Turgai-2 plots in the Kostanay region. Their estimated resources are over 80 million and 70 million tons of standard fuel, respectively. Both plots are located in the North Torgai sedimentary basin, where numerous oil and gas shows have been identified, and the starting signature bonus amounts are 94.9 million and 98.7 million tenge.
Another major object is the Priirtyshsky-2 plot in the Pavlodar region. Its estimated resources exceed 25 million tons of standard fuel. The Ministry notes that the area, associated with the West Siberian Plain and its large oil and gas reserves, deserves detailed geological exploration. The starting signature bonus for this plot is 93.6 million tenge.
The auction also includes two large plots in the Kyzylorda region – Aral South and Aral North-2. They are located in the South Torgai oil and gas zone, where hydrocarbon deposits have already been established in Lower Cretaceous, Middle and Upper Jurassic sediments. The estimated resources of the plots are over 60 million and 65 million tons of standard fuel, respectively, and the starting signature bonus amounts are 67.7 million and 61.3 million tenge.
Among the offered objects is also the Zharkaiyn Severny plot in the Kostanay region with estimated resources of over 20 million tons of standard fuel. According to the Ministry, oil and gas shows here are mainly associated with Upper Paleozoic rocks, and the starting signature bonus is 36.7 million tenge.
In addition to exploration plots, production objects are also put up for auction. For example, the Dongeleksor field in the Aktobe region, located in the Baiganin district. According to the ministry's materials, the field is located within the salt-dome area of the Caspian Depression, and further research here is planned to continue in the northern direction. The starting signature bonus is 43.25 million tenge.
Earlier, the Ministry of Energy had already put 30 oil and gas plots up for electronic auction. However, investor interest was limited: applications were submitted for only nine of them. These auctions are scheduled for August 11, 2026.