Government of Kazakhstan is anxious with refiners' shortage in oil

/IRBIS, Feb.09, 00/ - The Government of Kazakhstan is anxious with insufficient loading of three oil refiners of the country, the Prime minister Kasymzhomart Tokaev has told at the meeting of Government. After rise in oil prices in 1999, Kazakhstan has exported 20.662 million tons of oil and has reduced volume of oil processing inside the country to 70.2% of 1998 or to 32.3% of the planed capacity. According to the Government, Pavlodar Refinery has processed 688,100 ton, SHNOS (Shimkent) Refinery - 3,382,700 tons, Atyrau Refinery - 1.884.300 tons of oil. Tokaev has explained it not only by the attractiveness of prices outside Kazakhstan, but also by the sales through offshore companies to with the purpose of incomes concealment. As he said, the Government will create antidumping committee, which will struggle with the unfair exporters. The Government of Kazakhstan has established for 2000 the 22 million tons oil export quota. It has been criticized today by the President Nursultan Nazarbaev, which has told that it was possible to agree with the exporters on oil deliveries to the Kazakhstani oil refiners. Kazakhstan plans to increase in 2000 oil production to 33.7 million tons from 30.4 million in 1999.