卡扎克斯坦正在与中国的对话中探讨增加天然气出口的途径，并考虑建设额外的管道以提升输送量，凸显了其在地区能源市场中的日益重要角色。卡扎克斯坦将与其他邻国如土库曼斯坦和俄罗斯竞争中国市场。2014年莫斯科对乌克兰的入侵导致其切断了欧洲的主要天然气客户后，中国成为了有前景的需求来源，即使面临中国经济增速放缓的情况。
据卡扎克斯坦国家天然气公司首席执行官桑扎尔·扎尔格什夫表示：“尽管有关中国经济减速的消息不断出现，但对中国市场仍有着强劲的天然气需求。我们希望与中国达成协议，提高出口量，并可能向乌兹别克斯坦等其他国家扩大供应。”
该公司的谈判涵盖了比当前卡扎克斯坦对华出口量“显著更高的数量”。
作为一个世界最大的内陆国家，卡扎克斯坦正努力增加国内需求和出口收入的天然气产量。目前，它向中国供应大约40亿立方米的天然气，而自身消耗约210亿立方米。两国在2023年续签了为期三年的天然气出口合同。
对外输送更多的燃料能帮助卡扎克斯坦天然气公司抵消在国内销售中可能遇到的亏损情况，因为政府限制了天然气价格以保持低水平。该公司正在与主要生产商——包括国有企业KazMunayGas以及Tengiz、Kashagan和Karachaganak等油田——合作提高产量。
针对生产者制定的支持政策的新天然气定价公式也得到了扎尔格什夫的确认，这将有助于提高收入。此外，卡扎克斯坦天然气公司正在与卡塔尔投资者合作推进项目，到2029年可增加约35亿立方米的天然气产出，并开展与雪佛龙公司的勘探活动。
同时，该公司计划在现有连接Beyneu、Bozoy和Shymkent的管道旁建设第二条输送管线，将其输往中国的更大管道。目前这条线路只运行了大约70%的能力，留下了一些额外运输的空间。新管道的成本预计为30亿至60亿美元，并可能需要2到3年时间完成；最终决定将在今年晚些时候做出。
根据扎尔格什夫的说法，卡扎克斯坦天然气公司计划在明年发行欧元债券来融资这些项目，发行额最多可达到10亿美元，这将取决于市场状况。此外，该企业仍然目标于在2026年进行首次公开募股（IPO），可能在上海、纽约和卡扎克斯坦上市。
“虽然中国已经锁定了几个液化天然气合约，但液化天然气的价格与管道运输的天然气相比缺乏竞争力。”他表示，“因此，我们的重点仍然是满足中国市场在今年冬天的需求。”
这段对话充分展示了卡扎克斯坦正通过增强与中国的经济合作来巩固其在能源市场中的地位。这不仅为两国之间的贸易带来了潜力增长，也为该国提供了一个在全球范围内展示其能源生产能力的机会，并且可能通过国际市场的融资和投资进一步推动国内的天然气产业。
新闻来源：www.bloomberg.com
原文地址：Kazakhstan Seeks to Boost China Gas Exports With Possible New Pipe
新闻日期：2024-09-30
原文摘要：
Kazakhstan is in talks with China about increasing gas exports and is even considering building an additional pipeline to boost flows, underscoring the growing significance of its role in the region’s fuel market.Kazakhstan will be competing with neighboring countries including Turkmenistan and Russia for Chinese demand. Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago led to it cutting off major buyers in Europe, with China becoming a market even amid sputtering economic momentum.“Despite reports of an economic slowdown in China, the demand for gas continues to grow,” said Sanzhar Zharkeshov, chief executive officer at national gas operator . “We hope to reach a consensus on increasing our export volumes to China and possibly other countries like Uzbekistan.”The operator’s discussions with China involve “significantly higher volumes” than current Kazakhstan exports, he added.The world’s largest landlocked country is seeking to boost gas production to cover growing domestic demand as well as increase revenue from exports. It sends about 4 billion cubic meters of gas to China at the moment, while consuming about 21 billion cubic meters itself. In 2023 the two countries renewed a three-year export contract.Boosting fuel deliveries abroad could help QazaqGaz compensate for unprofitable domestic sales, where selling prices are kept low by the government.The operator is working with major producers — including state-owned and the Tengiz, Kashagan and Karachaganak fields — to raise output. QazaqGaz will introduce a new gas price formula aimed at supporting producers, Zharkeshov said.It’s also working with Qatari investors on projects that will add another 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas output by 2029, as well as on exploration activities with Chevron Corp., he said.In addition, QazaqGaz plans to build a second pipeline alongside its Beyneu-Bozoy-Shymkent link, feeding into a larger pipe to China. The latter is currently operating at about 70% of capacity, leaving some room for additional deliveries, he said. The new pipe feeding into it would cost between $3 billion to $6 billion, and could take two to three years to complete, with a decision due later this year.QazaqGaz may issue a Eurobond next year to finance its projects, Zharkeshov added, with a potential issuance of as much as $1 billion depending on market conditions. He said the operator remains on track for an initial public offering by 2026, potentially listing in London, New York, and Kazakhstan.“Although China has secured some good liquefied natural gas contracts, the price of LNG is not competitive compared to pipeline gas,” he said. “Therefore, our focus is on fulfilling our obligations to China during this winter season.”
