According to WPB, Kazakhstan’s CASPI BITUM has sharply increased both production and deliveries of road bitumen in 2026, providing one of the clearest signs yet that last year’s expansion at the Aktau plant is beginning to translate into higher physical supply.
The plant produced 221,000 MT of road bitumen during January–August 2026, almost 50% more than in the same period of 2025. Product shipments increased at almost the same pace, rising from 147,000 MT a year earlier to 220,000 MT.
That near match between production and shipments is one of the most important details in the latest figures. CASPI BITUM says the plant is effectively operating on a “produce and ship” basis, without building significant warehouse stocks, meaning most of the additional output has moved directly into the supply chain rather than accumulating at the refinery.
The improvement is visible across both road and rail logistics. In August, truck-loading volumes rose from 15,900 MT a year earlier to 20,500 MT, an increase of 28.9%, while the number of trucks dispatched climbed 30.2% to 677.
Part of that improvement came from a relatively simple operational change rather than new production hardware. The introduction of an electronic queue system increased throughput at the truck-loading section by 25%, helping reduce a bottleneck that had previously limited how quickly product could leave the plant.
Rail movements increased even faster. CASPI BITUM shipped 43,700 MT by rail, up 71.7% from a year earlier, while the number of loaded tank cars rose from 408 to 702.
Rail has consequently become more important in the plant’s distribution mix. Its share of total shipments increased from 61.5% to 69.4% over the year, reinforcing rail as the main channel for moving large volumes of road bitumen across Kazakhstan.
The latest production growth comes after a major modernization project completed in 2025. The upgrade raised crude-processing capacity at the Aktau plant from around 1 million MT to 1.5 million MT per year and increased maximum road-bitumen production capacity from 500,000 MT to 750,000 MT annually.
The expansion was significant because Kazakhstan had previously faced strong seasonal pressure in its road-bitumen market. Most contractors traditionally concentrate purchases in the warmer construction months, creating periods of intense demand even when annual domestic production capacity is theoretically sufficient.
That problem has not disappeared simply because nameplate capacity has increased. Earlier operational updates showed that CASPI BITUM could produce up to around 2,250 MT per day, while actual peak production in 2026 had been closer to 1,850 MT per day.
The difference illustrates an important point for the bitumen market: production capacity is only useful when demand, loading infrastructure and transport are able to absorb the material. Kazakhstan’s current strategy is increasingly focused on improving those links rather than adding capacity alone.
Authorities have also encouraged road contractors to shift part of their purchasing into the winter and off-season months. The aim is to smooth demand across the year, avoid summer loading queues and make better use of refinery capacity before the main paving season begins.
Packaged bitumen could play a larger role in that strategy. Material stored in big bags can be produced outside the main road-construction season and held without the heated storage systems required for liquid bitumen, giving buyers greater flexibility before summer demand peaks.
CASPI BITUM also produces polymer-modified bitumen, and the plant has indicated it can raise output of those grades when sufficient orders are available. That gives the Aktau site a broader role than simply supplying conventional road bitumen.
The plant itself is unusual within Kazakhstan’s refining system because its operations are specifically oriented toward oxidized and modified road bitumen. It processes heavy, resin-rich crude from the Karazhanbas field, a feedstock naturally suited to production of heavy residual products.
Quality is also becoming part of the plant’s commercial strategy. Bitumen produced in Aktau has undergone external laboratory testing, and independent certification in 2026 confirmed that tested material met applicable European quality requirements.
For the domestic market, however, volume remains the immediate story. Kazakhstan estimates road-bitumen demand in 2026 at around 1.1 million MT, while the combined nominal capacity of the country’s four producing plants is approximately 1.6 million MT per year.
On paper, that means Kazakhstan now has enough installed capacity to cover domestic consumption. The real challenge is matching production with the timing and location of road-building demand and ensuring that material can be moved quickly enough when construction activity peaks.
The January–August figures suggest progress on precisely that issue. Production rose sharply, but shipments rose almost one-for-one with it, while both rail and truck-loading capacity improved.
That distinguishes the latest increase from a simple expansion story. CASPI BITUM had already raised its annual capacity to 750,000 MT; what the new data show is that the plant is beginning to move more actual product through the logistics system.
For Kazakhstan’s road sector, stronger domestic supply reduces the need to rely on imported bitumen during periods of peak demand. It can also make procurement more predictable for contractors, particularly if production is distributed more evenly across the year.
The effect on regional trade is less clear. CASPI BITUM’s immediate priority remains Kazakhstan’s domestic road market, and the latest figures do not show a large new export program emerging from the higher production.
Still, the larger production base gives Kazakhstan more flexibility. If domestic demand is fully covered and seasonal surpluses develop, the country would be in a stronger position to consider additional regional sales, particularly to nearby Central Asian markets.
Geography could support that option. Kazakhstan is connected by rail and road to several neighboring markets, and the rising share of railway shipments at CASPI BITUM shows that the plant already has infrastructure capable of moving larger volumes over long distances.
Any expansion into exports would nevertheless depend on domestic allocation rules, seasonal demand, freight economics and product specifications. Higher production alone does not automatically mean additional material will be available outside Kazakhstan.
The more immediate takeaway is that CASPI BITUM is converting last year’s modernization into measurable operating gains. A plant that had increased its theoretical capacity is now producing and shipping substantially more road bitumen, while logistics improvements are helping prevent the additional volume from becoming trapped at the refinery.
For the wider Central Asian bitumen market, this is worth watching. Kazakhstan is moving from a phase focused on capacity expansion toward one centered on utilization, distribution and year-round supply management, which could gradually change the balance of road-bitumen availability across the region.
By WPB
Kazakhstan Bitumen, CASPI BITUM, Road Bitumen, KazMunayGas, Aktau Bitumen Plant, Bitumen Production, Bitumen Shipments, Rail Transport, Road Construction, Modified Bitumen, Packaged Bitumen, Central Asia, Bitumen Capacity, Bitumen Supply, Asphalt
