On approval of the Rules for Classifying Territories as little-studied Territories for the purposes of exploration and production of hydrocarbons
Order of the Minister of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated April 14, 2026 No. 176. Registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan on April 15, 2026 No. 38431
In accordance with paragraph 1-5 of Article 36 of the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Subsoil and Subsoil Use", I ORDER:
1. To approve the attached Rules for classifying Territories as little-studied Territories for the purposes of exploration and production of hydrocarbons.
2. The Committee of Geology of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in accordance with the procedure established by law, shall ensure:
1) the state registration of this order in the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
2) posting of this order on the Internet resource of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan after its official publication.
3. Control over the execution of this order is entrusted to the supervising Vice Minister of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
4. This order shall enter into force upon the expiration of ten calendar days after the date of its first official publication.
Minister of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan
E. Nagaspayev
"APPROVED" by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan
"APPROVED" by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan
"APPROVED" by the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
"APPROVED" by the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Approved by the Decree of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan on April 14, 2026 No. 176
Rules for classifying territories as little-explored territories for the purposes of exploration and production of hydrocarbons
Chapter 1. General provisions
1. These Rules for classifying Territories as little-studied territories for the purposes of exploration and Production of Hydrocarbons have been developed in accordance with paragraph 1-5 of Article 36 of the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Subsoil and Subsoil Use" and define the procedure for classifying territories as little-studied territories for the purposes of exploration and production of hydrocarbons.
Chapter 2. The procedure for classifying territories as poorly studied territories for the purposes of exploration and production of hydrocarbons
2. The identification of poorly studied territories is carried out on the basis of a prioritization list, which includes resource and infrastructure indicators and a procedure for documenting them.:
1) Resource indicators - estimated resources, the presence of identified mineral occurrences, the degree of geological exploration, and the absence of contracts in force on the territory for the exploration and (or) production of hydrocarbons.
2) Infrastructure indicators - transport accessibility, availability of energy infrastructure, distance from populated areas.
3) Documentary justification - geological reporting materials, scientific research, archival materials.
3. The assignment of the territory to a poorly studied one is carried out by the Committee of Geology of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) based on the analysis of geological information (geological, geophysical and drilling materials) stored in the Republican and territorial geological funds.
4. The analysis is carried out within 60 working days based on:
1) the results of the state geological survey of the subsoil;
2) materials of works performed by subsurface users;
3) geological, geophysical and drilling materials stored in the Republican and territorial geological funds of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The analysis is carried out at least once every five years.
5. To determine the degree of study of the territory, an assessment system is used based on criteria, each of which is assigned 1 point if there are signs of a lack of study.
Evaluation criteria:
1) low density of parametric, exploratory and exploratory drilling or its absence;
2) the absence of modern seismic surveys (2D/3D) or the presence of materials that do not meet modern requirements for processing and interpreting geophysical data;
3) insufficient provision of regional geological and geophysical materials, confirmed by a comprehensive interpretation;
4) the absence of open hydrocarbon deposits or the presence of isolated manifestations that have not been confirmed by industrial inflows;
5) high degree of uncertainty of the geological structure, stratigraphy, tectonic structure and oil and gas complexes;
6) the assessment of hydrocarbon resources was carried out mainly by predictive methods without confirmation by drilling results.
6. A territory is considered to be poorly explored if it meets at least four criteria specified in paragraph 5 of these Rules.
7. Based on the results of the analysis, the Committee forms a list of poorly studied territories, which contains:
1) the name of the territory, its borders and area;
2) the category of geological study;
3) characteristics of the geological and geophysical study of the territory;
4) information about completed geological, geophysical and drilling operations;
5) assessment of oil and gas potential;
6) text and cartographic materials.
8. The list of poorly studied territories is approved by a legal act of the Committee and posted on its official Internet resource, with the exception of information constituting state secrets and other legally protected secrets.
9. Information on territories classified as poorly studied is subject to referral by the Committee to the authorized body in the field of hydrocarbons for inclusion in the lists of subsurface areas proposed for granting the right to explore and produce hydrocarbons within poorly studied territories.
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