16th International Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference (KIOGE 2008) will be held on 7-10 October 2008 at the Atakent Exhibition centre in Almaty.

'The 15th Kazakhstan International Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference, KIOGE, took place on 2-5 October in the Atakent Exhibition Centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The event was attended by Sauat Mynbayev, Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources, and Lyazzat Kiinov, Deputy Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources in Kazakhstan, amongst others.

During the Conference, Mr. Kiinov announced, 'We are planning an increase in hydrocarbon production volumes. The predicted oil output will total 75-80 million tons by 2010 and 120-130 million tons by 2015. Natural gas production will increase up to 40 million cubic tons by 2010 and up to 70 million tons by 2015'.

KazMunayGas also drew a great deal of interest from participants at the opening of the Exhibition as they declared that the SAP ERP system’s introduction had been successfully completed, enabling standardisation and optimisation of business processes. A statement issued by the President of KazMunayGas also confirmed their discovery of signs of oil in the Zhemchuzhina (The Pearl) field.

The anniversary edition of KIOGE was also attended by His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York on the second day of the event, as the UK’s Special Representative for Trade and Investment. In his speech to Conference delegates, he referred to KIOGE as a “reflection of the progress Kazakhstan has achieved as a country and a nation”.

The progress, referred to by the Prince, was evident at the Conference, which opened with a workshop entitled ‘Oil & Gas in Kazakhstan: Critical Issues & Emerging Trends’, organised jointly by Denton Wilde Sapte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Other topics of interest included long-term plans to increase hydrocarbon production in Kazakhstan, amendments to legislation covering the management of natural resources and the latest developments in the Kashagan project. '

Event Director, Julia Romanenko, commented, “The latest announcements made during KIOGE by the Kazakhstan Government and KazMunayGas confirm the country’s long-term commitment to developing its oil and gas industry and increasing efficiency of production. Announcements such as these rouse interest in the Kazakhstan market, which fuels the growth and development of the exhibition. As a result, we are looking forward to an even larger event in 2008!”