Reservoir engineering and modelling in Kazakhstan

KazNIGRI

Service companyAtyrau

A privately owned petroleum geological exploration research institute in Atyrau; according to the company, it traces its history to the Ural-Emba research base of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR founded in 1946, has been called KazNIGRI since 1972, and a joint-stock company was created on the basis of the institute in 1998 and KazNIGRI LLP in 1999. According to the company, the institute plans and supports exploration, estimates reserves and resources, designs and analyses the development of onshore and offshore fields, prepares technical projects for well drilling, and carries out engineering-geological surveys, environmental design and laboratory studies of core and fluids. Public-hearing notices of 2024–2026 regularly name the institute as the project organisation for exploration projects and their addenda, technical projects for well construction, addenda to field development projects and liquidation projects with their environmental sections — for Buzachi Neft, Kazakhoil Aktobe, Kazpetrol Group, South-Oil, TethysAralGas and other subsoil users. A 2026 report published on the state portal gov.kz also cites the institute's re-estimation of reserves of the S. Balgimbaev field for Embamunaigas, approved by the State Commission on Reserves in 2014. Its testing laboratory is accredited until 29 November 2028 (register of the National Accreditation Centre); as stated by the organisation, it holds licences for design in the oil and gas sector, category I design, engineering surveys and environmental design.

Exploration projects and their addenda · Estimation and re-estimation of reserves and resources · Field development projects and their addenda · Technical projects for well construction, including horizontal wells · +2 more

KMG Engineering

Service companyAstana +2

Research and design institute of the KazMunayGas group, with its head office in Astana and two branches — KazNIPImunaygas in Aktau and the Atyrau branch; the sole participant of the LLP is NC KazMunayGas JSC. The legal entity was created on 12 March 2014 as the KazMunayGas Research Institute of Production and Drilling Technologies LLP — according to the company, on the basis of the Kazakh Institute of Oil and Gas JSC (KING) and its subsidiary institutes — and was renamed KMG Engineering on 4 May 2019; KING itself did not become part of the institute and has been a separate private company since 2015. In May 2018 the subsidiary institutes became branches: KazNIPImunaygas (which traces its history to the KazNIPIneft institute, 1970) prepares project documents for the Mangystau assets — Ozenmunaigas, Mangistaumunaigaz, Karazhanbasmunai and the KazGPZ gas processing plant — and the Atyrau branch (the former NII Caspiymunaygas LLP) for Embamunaigas and assets in Aktobe, Kyzylorda and West Kazakhstan regions; the head office, according to the company, handles management, monitoring of exploration projects, conceptual design and design review. The branches prepare exploration work projects, reserves estimates, field development projects, technical designs for well construction, working designs of field facilities and environmental documentation; according to the company, they also run laboratory centres (core, PVT, oilfield chemistry, drilling fluids). The institute works almost exclusively for KMG group companies and their joint ventures; the private NIPI Kaspiymunaigaz JSC in Atyrau is a separate organisation and not part of the institute.

Exploration work projects and supplements to them · Estimation, re-estimation and addition of oil and gas reserves · Field development projects and supplements to them · Technical designs for well construction — group and individual · +2 more

NIPIneftegaz

Service companyAktau +5

A privately owned oil and gas research and design institute headquartered in Aktau, set up in 1997 and given its present name in 2025; according to the company, it was founded as NIPIneftegaz CJSC and has offices in Almaty, Astana, Oral (Uralsk), Kyzylorda and Atyrau. In 2007 the institute described itself as created on the basis of the KazNIPIneft institute; it is not that institute's legal successor: according to the history published by KMG Engineering LLP, the legal succession of KazNIPIneft leads to that company. According to the company, the institute prepares reserves estimates, exploration, trial production and field development projects, technical projects for well construction, designs of field facilities and industrial plants and environmental documents, and studies core and reservoir fluids in its own laboratory centre. State portals confirm that in 2022–2026 it was named as developer of the development projects for the Karaturun Morskoe, Munaibay, Karamandybas North and Tuzkol fields and of facilities projects at the Dunga field, and a subsoil user's filing names it as the author of the Karabulak North reserves estimate approved by the State Commission on Reserves in 2022; work for Tengizchevroil, KPO and NCOC is listed only on the institute's own site. As stated by the organisation, it holds state licences for the design of mining production in the oil and gas sector (class 1), environmental design and standard-setting, category I design and engineering surveys; its testing laboratory is accredited until 6 October 2030 (register of the National Accreditation Centre), and its average headcount in 2025 was 311 (annual statements filed with the state depository).

Estimation and re-estimation of oil, gas and condensate reserves · Trial production and field development projects and their addenda · Field development analysis and author supervision · Technical projects for well construction · +2 more

OPTIMUM Design Institute

Service companyAktau

A privately owned design institute in Aktau, founded in 2000, according to the company, as an independent expert and consulting firm in geology and subsoil use and renamed OPTIMUM Design Institute LLP in 2009. According to the company, the institute prepares reserves estimates and re-estimates (including PRMS assessments), exploration, trial production and field development projects, technical projects for well construction, field facilities designs and environmental documents, and also designs gas-chemical plants. State documents confirm reserves re-estimates approved by the State Commission on Reserves for the Airakty (2021), Sarybulak (2023) and Kamenskoe (2024) fields, development projects for the Matin, Kamenskoe, Sarybulak and Bukharsai fields, and two reserves and resources reports published on KASE in 2018 by the issuers KazAzot and Maten Petroleum. Public-hearing notices of 2022–2026 name the institute as project developer for QazaqGaz Exploration and Production, Kuatamlonmunai, Ken-Sary, Kom-Munai, Taiqonyr Energy, KazAzot, Kazpetrol Group and a Sinopec branch. As stated by the organisation, it holds a Ministry of Energy licence for works and services in the hydrocarbons sector (class 1) and licences for category I design, engineering surveys and environmental protection works.

Reserves estimates and re-estimates, PRMS reserves and resources assessments · Exploration projects and their addenda · Trial production and field development projects · Technical projects for well construction and well reactivation projects · +2 more

A privately owned design organisation in Aktau working on subsurface project documents. According to the company (its website has not been updated since July 2013), it was formed in December 2000 on the basis of the geology and oil and gas field development department of the Engineering Centre of Mangistaumunaigaz JSC and in 2001–2009 prepared project and research documents for all 15 fields of that company. According to the company, it prepares reserves estimates and re-estimates, prospecting and exploration projects, trial production and field development projects with geological and reservoir simulation models, technical projects for well construction, conservation and liquidation projects and environmental documents. State portals confirm work for subsoil users in Mangystau and Atyrau regions: the centre is named as the author of the addenda to the development projects for the West Sagiz and Asanketken fields and of the Asanketken reserves re-estimate for Jasyl Energy (2024–2025), of group technical projects for well construction at the Karaturun fields for Buzachi Neft (2025–2026), and of the reserves estimate and trial production project for the Shalva field (2011–2016). As stated by the organisation, it holds licences for the design of mining production and for environmental protection works.

Estimates and re-estimates of oil, gas and associated component reserves · Trial production projects, field development projects and their addenda · Group and individual technical projects for well construction · Projects for liquidating the consequences of subsoil use · +2 more

Timal Consulting Group

Service companyAtyrau +1

A privately owned design company with its head office in Atyrau; according to the company, it was formed in April 2008 in Almaty, where it keeps an office, and opened an office in Atyrau in 2016, to which its legal address was later moved. It prepares field development projects and their addenda, trial production and exploration projects, with its own environmental sections and emission-standard packages; according to the company, it also produces reserves estimates and geological and reservoir simulation models and develops software for the oil and gas industry. Public-hearing notices of 2022–2026 name the company as developer of the development projects for the Zhanazhol (for CNPC-Aktobemunaigas), Ketekazgan West, Akzhol, Saigak, Kokzhide, Lebyazhye, Shubarkuduk and Zhengeldy fields; its clients also include CNPC-AiDan Munai, Caspi Neft, Kazpetrol Group and Tumar Petrol. The employer card on the state Electronic Labour Exchange shows 54 employees (October 2026). As stated by the organisation, it holds a state licence for works and services in environmental protection.

Field development projects and their addenda · Trial production projects · Exploration (prospecting and appraisal) projects and their addenda · Reports on possible impacts, EIA and environmental protection sections for projects · +2 more

KazOilServ

Service companyAktobe

KazOilServ is an Aktobe-based well-testing service company founded in 2014, staffed by more than 30 Kazakhstani specialists. It provides slickline/rope operations, surface well testing, surface and downhole PVT sampling, hydrodynamic research and interpretation, production logging and well-optimization modelling.

Slickline/rope well operations · Surface well testing · PVT sampling · Hydrodynamic research and interpretation · +2 more

Reservoir Evaluation Services (RES)

Service companyAlmaty

Almaty-based integrated subsurface consultancy formed from a branch of AGR Petroleum Services, with geophysical group CGG (now Viridien) taking a minority stake in 2013 and turning its former Almaty processing centre into RES's own processing department. RES offers seismic processing and interpretation, geological and reservoir modelling, field development planning and reserves estimation for Kazakhstan operators.

Seismic data processing and interpretation · Time and depth (AVO, 4D) seismic processing · Geological and petrophysical modelling · Reservoir simulation · +2 more

SMART Engineering

Service companyAlmaty +1

A privately owned design company in Almaty; according to the company, it was created in 2006 and has an office in Atyrau. It prepares exploration and appraisal projects, field development projects and their addenda, technical projects for well construction and projects for liquidating the consequences of subsoil use, with its own environmental sections; according to the company, it also produces reserves estimates for the State Commission on Reserves, trial production projects, development analyses, author supervision reports and raw gas processing programmes. Public-hearing notices of 2022–2026 name the company as developer of the development projects for the Zhamansu, Alimbay, Karataykyz and Mynteke South fields, of an addendum to the Kemerkol field development project and of exploration projects for the Zharkent, Maksat, Elek, Kargaly, Tastobe, Tepke and Karaturun East areas; the state procurement register shows two executed contracts with the West Kazakhstan Interregional Department of Geology (2020 and 2021). According to the company, it has completed 498 projects for 98 clients, 276 of them defended at the Central Commission for Exploration and Development, and 47 of its reserves reports have been approved by the State Commission on Reserves. As stated by the organisation, it holds state licences for the design of mining production in the oil and gas industry, for environmental protection works (class 1) and for design and survey activity.

Exploration (prospecting) projects and their addenda · Appraisal projects · Field development projects and their addenda · Individual and group technical projects for well construction · +2 more

A privately owned design company in Atyrau, registered in 2002, that prepares subsurface project documents mainly for private subsoil users. The company has no website and publishes no contact details, so this profile is compiled only from state portals and documents. Public-hearing notices from October 2021 to October 2026 and documents on state portals name it as developer of exploration projects, trial production projects (Biikzhal, Bastau, Balykshi, Karagan), field development projects and their addenda (Kamyskul South, Karatyube, Akshabulak West, Baychunas West, Bashenkol, Bastau, Kemerkol), technical projects for well construction and projects for liquidating the consequences of subsoil use, with their environmental sections. State documents also cite the company's reserves estimates approved by the State Commission on Reserves (Kamyskul South in 2020, Bastau in 2021, Baychunas West and Pridorozhnoe South in 2023) and the technological development scheme for the Uaz field drawn up in 2011. As stated by the organisation in its project documents and in hearing notices, it holds a Ministry of Energy licence for drafting project documents for hydrocarbon fields (class 1) and a licence for environmental protection works.

Estimation and re-estimation of oil and gas reserves · Exploration (prospecting and appraisal) projects and their addenda · Trial production projects · Field development projects, technological schemes and their addenda · +2 more

DeGolyer and MacNaughton

Service companyAstana

US petroleum consulting firm operating a Central Europe/Asia division with a branch office in Astana staffed by around 20 geologists, petrophysicists and reservoir/production engineers. The Astana team has evaluated more than 150 Kazakhstan fields and works with the national oil company on reserve classification and development practices.

Reserves and resources classification · Field evaluation and reservoir management · Well completion and production optimisation advisory · Staff mentoring and best-practice transfer

Core Laboratories

Service companyAktau

Core Laboratories is a reservoir description, production enhancement and reservoir management company. In Kazakhstan it operates through its petroleum-inspection subsidiary Saybolt, registered as ТОО Saybolt Inspection Services Kazakhstan, which performs independent cargo inspection and quality/quantity surveying from a base in Aktau serving Caspian crude-export operations.

Independent cargo inspection · Crude oil quality and quantity surveying · Petroleum laboratory testing