KazMunayGas plans to create digital twins of 12 of its oilfields and use artificial intelligence to work out the most effective ways of developing them. The expected economic benefit from deploying the technology is estimated at 326 billion tenge, the website infohub.kz reports.
The project to build AI-powered digital twins of the fields was presented to the government's leadership. The digital copy is expected to hold data on reservoirs, wells and production, and to propose optimal development options with economic efficiency in mind. The AI processes large volumes of field data and produces recommendations within hours — work that previously took months.
The technology is especially valuable at mature fields, where extracting remaining reserves is becoming increasingly difficult. The new tool will shorten calculation times and help choose further development decisions, including without costly field trials.
As an example, the company cites the Vostochny Moldabek field at Embamunaygas. The system analysed the reservoir's geological and hydrodynamic model, ran through development options, identified zones with remaining reserves and helped improve efficiency. A total of 700 development scenarios were calculated for this field.
In addition, when planning wells, the digital twin ranks them by potential, selects candidates for geological and technical measures and sets well operating regimes. Digital production allows well data to be updated every five minutes and deviations to be recorded. The technology will cut production losses by 5% and resource and labour costs by up to 15%.
The system will also make it possible to plan repairs, manage procurement and transport, and control work permits. By the end of 2028, KazMunayGas aims to roll out digital twins at 12 of its key fields. The project is expected to add 2.8 million tonnes of oil production, with an economic effect of around 326 billion tenge.
It was reported earlier that AI helped Kazakhstan find a copper deposit in the east of the country.