30 September 2026 г.

KIOGE 2026 OPENS ITS ANNIVERSARY SEASON: 30 YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE, TECHNOLOGY AND STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS FOR THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

ON SEPTEMBER 30, THE 30TH KAZAKHSTAN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE “OIL AND GAS” — KIOGE 2026 — OPENED IN ALMATY.

The anniversary event brought together representatives of government agencies, major national and international companies, industry associations, the expert community, equipment manufacturers and technology solution providers. Over three days, KIOGE serves as a platform for professional dialogue, the demonstration of advanced developments and discussion of strategic priorities for the oil and gas industry.

Over three decades, KIOGE has established a sustainable international business ecosystem bringing together the interests of the government, business and the professional community. The scale of the anniversary year is reflected in the event’s broad geographical reach: KIOGE 2026 brings together representatives from 58 countries worldwide. The countries represented include Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Ghana, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Egypt, Israel, India, Indonesia, Iran, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, Canada, Qatar, China, Cyprus, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Monaco, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Norway, the UAE, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the USA, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Estonia, South Korea and Japan.

The exhibition, deployed across Pavilions 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the Atakent IEC, brought together 501 companies. Kazakhstan is represented by 187 companies, while another 314 participants are international companies. At the same time, 34% of exhibitors are participating in KIOGE for the first time, demonstrating the expanding participant base and continued business interest in Kazakhstan’s oil and gas market. National groups are represented by Austria, Germany, India, Italy, China and Russia.

The central event of the first half of the day was the official opening ceremony of the exhibition, followed by a VIP tour of the exhibition with the participation of representatives of government bodies, heads of major national and international oil and gas companies and industry organisations.

The official opening ceremony was attended by: Yerlan Akbarov, Vice Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Ministry of Energy of the United Arab Emirates; Alibek Zhamauov, Chairman of the Management Board, JSC NC «QazaqGaz»; Kurmangazy Iskaziyev, First Deputy CEO, JSC NC «KazMunayGas»;

Jambulat Sarsenov, Vice President of WPC Energy; William Lacobie, General Director at Tengizchevroil LLP; Serıkqali Brekeşev, Chairman of the KAZENERGY Association; Dmitry Shenberger, President of JSC “Atakent” IEC; Edward Stroon, Founder of Iteca exhibition company.

During the VIP tour, distinguished guests visited exhibitors’ stands and reviewed technological developments, equipment and comprehensive solutions for the oil and gas sector.

The KIOGE exhibition’s business programme is presented as a separate area and is being held in the conference hall of Pavilion No. 8. In total, it includes more than eight sessions open for free attendance by industry professionals. Today, September 30, seminars were held by LMP Project Group CA, KSP STEEL and JSC NC «QazaqGaz». Tomorrow, October 1, the business programme will continue with seminars by «Topan», NCOC, KPO and «Tengizchevroil». A separate event will be the presentation of the XXVI WPC Energy Congress, which will take place on June 11–15, 2028, in Astana, for representatives of oilfield service companies.

Alongside the events at the Atakent IEC, the strategic component of KIOGE is represented by the 30th anniversary International Conference «Oil and Gas», taking place at The Ritz-Carlton Almaty under the overarching concept «From Megaprojects to Market Leadership: Kazakhstan in the Global Energy Mix». This year, the conference brought together 620 delegates, while the geography of speakers covered 12 countries — Azerbaijan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the UAE, Poland, the USA and Uzbekistan. The practical component of professional interaction is strengthened by a direct negotiation format: more than 280 B2B and G2B meetings are planned.

The key event of the first day of the conference was the plenary session «Global Integration: Kazakhstan’s Role in New Energy Value Chains». The discussion focused on Kazakhstan’s positioning in the global energy agenda for 2030+, international cooperation in shaping a sustainable and diversified energy balance, the development of technology partnerships, the importance of critical minerals amid the energy transition, as well as prospects for creating added value across the upstream, midstream and downstream segments.

The plenary platform brought together heads of relevant government agencies, industry associations, national and international companies. The participation of representatives from the public and corporate sectors made it possible to consider the transformation of energy markets from the perspectives of public policy, international cooperation, investment priorities and the practical needs of business.

In his welcoming speech, Yerlan Akbarov, Vice Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted: «Kazakhstan has resources. It has infrastructure. It has experience in international cooperation. But the key competitive advantages of the future must be knowledge, technology and responsibility for the decisions being made today. The decisions we make in 2026 will determine the state of the industry in 2035–2040 and beyond. Therefore, today we need to look beyond current production, current contracts and current market conditions».

Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Ministry of Energy of the United Arab Emirates, emphasised in his speech: «We all need to be resilient and provide alternative options for development, because this is not about influencing one or two countries — it is about global impact. Today, countries are no longer simply thinking about this; they are implementing projects that will allow part, and in some cases the entire volume, of hydrocarbons to be exported through several routes. But no less important than creating alternative routes is ensuring the resilience and security of critical infrastructure. First and foremost, this is about resilience, redundancy and having alternatives. And third, we need to cooperate much more closely between countries than we have in the past».

As part of the plenary programme, a memorandum of cooperation was also signed between Baker Hughes and «West Kazakhstan Machine Building Company» JSC. The signing was a practical continuation of the agenda focused on expanding technological cooperation and industrial collaboration.

Following the plenary session, the conference continued simultaneously across several thematic platforms. The strategic session «Intelligent Upstream: From Seismic Survey to the Well» focused on the development of geological exploration, modern drilling technologies, digital geology and the implementation of artificial intelligence in exploration and production processes. In parallel, the session «Export Logistics and the Geopolitics of Routes» addressed the diversification of export destinations, the resilience of transport chains and the prospects of the Middle Corridor. The programme continued with a presentation of the KAZENERGY National Energy Report and the panel session «Low-Carbon Development, ESG and Climate Regulation: New Standards», which addressed decarbonisation, environmental regulation and investment. The technology agenda was complemented by the showcase «Practical Cases of Digital Transformation in the Oil and Gas Industry: AI, Automation, New Technologies», dedicated to the practical application of digital solutions and artificial intelligence. The programme concluded with the panel session «Oil and Gas Engineering and Petrochemicals», focused on the development of production potential and industry cooperation.

Thus, the first day of KIOGE 2026 established a multifaceted professional agenda — from international energy integration and the development of export infrastructure to geological exploration, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, low-carbon transformation, petrochemicals and industrial cooperation.

Tomorrow, October 1, the conference programme will continue with the strategic session «Gas and Gas Chemicals: A Value-Processing Strategy», the panel session «Industry Legends on Challenges and Achievements», the GR Hub Kazakhstan business game «GR from A to Z», the discussion «Kazakhstan’s Energy Future: Investments, Markets and the Energy Transition», as well as the PR & HR business simulation «No Solid Ground: A New Reality – How Leaders Can Manage in a World of Instability, Change and Artificial Intelligence».

The event is officially supported by the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Almaty City Akimat, NCE Atameken, the Association of Legal Entities «Kazakhstan Association KAZENERGY», NC KazMunayGas JSC, PSA, IMBC, Energy Monitor, KazService and PETROCOUNCIL.KZ. General partners are KazMunayGas and Tengizchevroil; gold partners are QazaqGaz, NCOC and KPO; silver partners are Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Eni, Solar Turbines, AB Tec and CNPC; bronze partners are Shell, Honeywell, Eurasian Machinery, AVC Group, Mercedes, TAQA, GMS and WoodKSS.

KIOGE 2026 is organised by the Kazakhstan exhibition company Iteca in partnership with the international ICA Events Group.

KIOGE 2026 will continue until October 2 at the Atakent Exhibition Centre, bringing together 30 years of industry experience with new technologies, international cooperation and the current energy agenda.