Kazakhstan planning to lift ban on bitumen exports

ASTANA. Oct 20 (Interfax) - The Kazakh Energy Ministry intends to lift the ban on bitumen exports outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), according to a draft order published in the database of Kazakhstan's regulatory legal acts.

The ministry explained the need to cancel the current moratorium in terms of the possibility of exporting surplus amounts of road bitumen generated due to the seasonal nature of demand, as well as the availability of idle production capacity at Kazakh enterprises.

According to the document, the draft order was prepared on the instructions of the prime minister. Public discussion of the draft will last until November 4, 2026.

The ban on bitumen exports in Kazakhstan was set for six months - from July 1 to December 31, 2026.