Critical for Kazakhstan to pursue oil export options outside of Russia, investor says
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Kazakhstan’s ability to diversify its seaborne crude oil export routes away from Russian territory is critical to the country’s economy, the developer of an alternative port told CNBC.
“I believe it’s less political, more existential question, and we hope that also international community is going to support that initiative to have alternative routes in order to minimize the effects of any supply shortages,” Nurzhan Marabayev, CEO of Kazakh infrastructure investor Semurg Invest, told CNBC’s Dan Murphy and Hadley Gamble.
His company has been working to develop the Kuryk port on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea — a project that includes a bulk cargo terminal, designed for the transshipment of oil, bulk oil cargo and liquefied petroleum gas.
Once complete, the port could provide an alternative to Kazakhstan’s main seaborne crude oil export route, which currently transports volumes across Russian territory via the 1,511-kilometer (939-mile) Caspian Pipeline Corporation’s pipeline, for later shipment from the CPC terminal near Russian port Novorossiysk.
Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, concerns have mounted that Kazakhstan’s reliance on cooperation with Russia — with whom Kazakhstan shares a 7,644-kilometer (4,750 miles) border and a history of close political alignment — could endanger its oil supplies. Exports from the CPC terminal were intermittently disrupted in 2022, with Russia citing technical and regulatory issues. This included a delay in the port’s restart after storm damage, while Russian technical watchdog Rostekhnadzor carried out an unscheduled inspection, and a brief and unenforced Russian court ruling for CPC to halt exports for 30 days.
“Approximately 95% of oil is going through Russian territory, and we have seen some disturbance last year, and actually … it’s quite a threat to the Kazakhstan economy, because we are depending on the oil revenues,” Marabayev told CNBC on Wednesday.
Oil major ExxonMobil — which holds a 16.8% interest in the Kasahagan field and a 25% stake in the Tengizchevroil consortium that operates the Tengiz and Korolev fields — signaled similar concerns in a Feb. 22 securities filing.
“In the event that Russia takes countermeasures in response to existing sanctions related to its military actions in Ukraine, it is possible that the transportation of Kazakhstan oil through the CPC pipeline could be disrupted, curtailed, temporarily suspended, or otherwise restricted,” the company said, warning of a “loss in cash flows of uncertain duration” under such circumstances. ExxonMobil’s after-tax earnings linked to its Kazakh interests were roughly $2.5 billion in 2022.
Kazakhstan is the second largest producer of the non-OPEC contingent of the OPEC+ coalition and has typically aligned itself with Russia in the group’s petropolitics. Kazakh output slipped to 1.66 million barrels per day in January, according to the February issue of the International Energy Agency’s Oil Market Report.
The country has been studying potential alternative transport routes beyond Moscow’s borders, including the possibility of sending oil shipments via Azerbaijan’s Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and through the incomplete Kuryk port project.
“Major infrastructure has been done, but still we need more support and attention to the port in order to fast-track the development of the private terminals,” Marabayev said. Development began in 2010, with operations starting six years ago.
U.S. outreach
Russia and Kazakhstan have historically observed a tight alliance, with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev last year calling on the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to send paratroopers into Kazakh territory after nationwide protests erupted over fuel price increases.
But Russia’s war in Ukraine has stranded Kazakhstan in a precarious balancing act between Western powers and the Moscow administration of Vladimir Putin. Tokayev deepened engagement with Washington during the Tuesday visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who repeatedly stressed that the U.S. backed Kazakhstan’s “territorial integrity.”
“Ever since being the first nation to recognize Kazakhstan in December of 1991, the United States has been firmly committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Kazakhstan – and countries across the region,” Blinken said.
“In our discussions today, I reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Kazakhstan, like all nations, to freely determine its future, especially as we mark one year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in a failed attempt to deny its people that very freedom.”
Russian flows
The world’s third-largest oil producer, Russia has found its footing in the crude markets destabilized by EU and G-7 sanctions implemented against its seaborne exports of crude oil and oil products in December and February, respectively. Kazakh oil has been exempted from the measures despite transiting and exiting a port on Russian grounds.
The G-7 has put in place a scheme that allows Western providers to facilitate critical financial and shipping services to non-G-7 countries that purchase Russian volumes below a specific price. Moscow has repeatedly denounced this measure and threatened to deny its crude and oil products to those who observe such a price cap.
The withdrawal has pressured its production levels, which the IEA pegged down to 9.77 million barrels per day in January. Moscow announced it would reduce crude oil output by 500,000 barrels per day in March.
Russia has also been pushed farther into the Asia markets, now primarily relying on Chinese and Indian purchases:
“I think Russia, effectively, is an Asian nation by now. I think India and China will, for a long period, be the main buyers of Russia. It’s going to become the new norm,” Viktor Katona, lead crude analyst at Kpler, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”
“I think that’s going to be the end result Russia out of Europe, Russia perennially into Asia, there’s going to be new links into those countries, and that’s pretty much it.”
Tadano first showed its massive, 100-ton electric rough-terrain crane at last year’s ConExpo, promising the same lifting capacity as its 100-ton diesel counterpart. Now, we know a little more about this big lifter.
Officially dubbed the Tadano eGR-1000XLL-1 EVOLT, the big mobile crane ships with six lithium ion battery packs offering up to 226 kWh of power. Tadano says that’s good enough for up to seven hours of continuous operation in a single spot, or or up five hours of continuous operation and five-and-a-half miles of driving before it runs out of juice.
Re-juicing (?) the big crane is achieved with a standard CCS/J1772 DC fast charger with speeds up to 150 kW. That’s enough, Tadano says, to fully charge the eGR-1000XLL-1’s batteries in under two hours, or overnight on an 80A 220/240V AC charger … but all that is besides the point.
Grid-connected power for 24/7 use
The EVOLT’s real superpower isn’t its big battery or 100-ton lifting capacity. Instead, it’s the crane’s ability to operate 24/7 when it’s on grid power. If the job site loses power or power has to be shut down as part of regular operations, the crane can keep things moving under battery power for up to seven hours. It can even be connected to mobile charging stations if seven hours isn’t enough, or driven a few miles back to grid power to be charged up.
And, with 4x4x4 drive, those few miles don’t have to be paved … or even cleared, probably, making the big Tadano perfect for disaster recovery efforts.
“We are very confident in the investment we’ve made in this crane,” said Dean Barley, president and CEO at Tadano America of the 100-ton-capacity machine. “This crane has been tested and retested. We wanted to make sure that the first fully electric rough terrain (RT) crane in North America meets all the requirements of the market.”
Being fully electric, the EVOLT is quiet enough to work at night in urban and sensitive environments – and, because it produces no exhaust emissions, can also be tasked with indoor work in hangars and stadiums where diesel emissions would quickly pose a substantial health risk.
Speaking of health risks, swinging up to 100 tons of material around can be dangerous work. That’s where Tadano’s Lift Visualizer and AML Crane Control safety systems come into play:
LIFT VISUALIZER
The eGR-1000XLL-1 also offers Lift Visualizer to enhance safety and efficiency. This feature utilizes a suspended load monitoring camera, allowing operators to monitor suspended loads directly from above. Particularly useful in blind spots such as rooftop work, the Lift Visualizer pulls critical lift information from the AML control system and displays it on the video screen, including radius, capacities and load, among others, to improve efficiency and safety for the operator.AML CRANE CONTROL
The AML Control System delivers dependable crane control and monitoring solutions, ensuring safe and efficient performance during crane operations. This system incorporates the latest advancements from Tadano rough terrain cranes, featuring an enhanced operator interface, a broad range of functionalities and the renowned reliability and ease of use characteristic of Tadano products. The system facilitates time and cost savings through straightforward on-board diagnostics, improved settings and easily adjustable lifting limits.
In addition to offering the ability for construction crews to bid on work they simply couldn’t get without an electric option, the company says its new EVOLT models will reduce operating costs on an annual basis by about 35% compared to the diesel-powered version of the same crane. That estimate includes costs of fuel and electricity, as well as maintenance and downtime costs at an estimated 1,200 engine hours per year.
You can check out the full specs on the eGR-1000XLL-1 EVOLT, below, then let us know what you think of Tadano’s latest HDEV in the comments.
Tadano eGR-1000XLL-1 full specs
| Capacity Class | 90.7 tonnes | 100 tons |
| Main Boom Length | max 51 meters | 167 ft. |
| Boom Extension | max 17.7 meters | 58 ft. |
| Max. Tip Height | 68.3 meters | 224 ft. |
| Outrigger Bases | 7.33 x 7.33 meters | 24 x24 ft. |
| Hoist Line Pull | 9,090 kg | 20,040 lbs. |
| Max. Radius | 57.91 meters | 190 ft. |
| Dimensions | 15.18 m L | 50 ft. |
| 3.31 m W | 10′ 10″ | |
| 3.74 m H | 12′ 4″ | |
| Axles2 | 2 | |
| Drive | 4x4x4 | |
SOURCE | IMAGES: Tadano.
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Massachusetts is launching a first-of-its-kind statewide vehicle-to-everything (V2X) pilot program. This two-year initiative, backed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), aims to deploy 100 bidirectional chargers to homes, school buses, municipal, and commercial fleet participants across the state.
These bidirectional chargers will enable EVs to serve as mobile energy storage units, collectively providing an estimated 1.5 MW of new storage capacity. That means EVs won’t just be getting power – they’ll be giving it back to the grid, helping to balance demand and support renewable energy use. The program is also focused on ensuring that low-income and disadvantaged communities have access to this cutting-edge tech.
The Massachusetts pilot is one of the largest state-led V2X initiatives in the US and is designed to tackle key challenges in deploying bidirectional charging technology. By strategically placing these chargers in a variety of settings, the program aims to identify and resolve barriers to wider adoption of V2X technology.
Massachusetts EV owners and fleet operators enrolled in the program will get bidirectional chargers capable of both vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and backup power operations at no cost. Here’s what they stand to gain:
- No-cost charging infrastructure: Bidirectional charging stations and installation are fully covered for participants.
- Grid resilience: With an estimated 1.5 MW of new flexible and distributed storage assets, the program strengthens Massachusetts’ energy infrastructure.
- Clean energy integration: V2G technology allows EVs to charge when renewable energy is available and discharge stored energy when it’s not, supporting the state’s clean energy goals.
- Backup power: EV batteries can be used as backup power sources during outages.
- Revenue opportunities: Some participants can earn money by sending stored energy back to the grid.
Clean energy solutions firm Resource Innovations and vehicle-grid integration tech company The Mobility House are leading the program’s implementation. “With the charging infrastructure provided through this program, we’re eliminating financial barriers and enabling school districts, homeowners, and fleets to access reliable backup power,” said Kelly Helfrich of Resource Innovations. “We aim to create a scalable blueprint for V2X programs nationwide.”
“Bidirectional charging benefits vehicle owners by providing backup power and revenue opportunities while strengthening the grid for the entire community,” added Russell Vare of The Mobility House North America.
The program is open for enrollment now through June 2025. For more details, visit the MassCEC V2X Program webpage. A list of eligible bidirectional vehicles can be found on that page.
Read more: Cambridge’s new solar VPPA is the largest ever by any US city
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Compton, California, has unveiled 25 new electric school buses – the school district’s first – and 25 Tellus 180 kW DC fast chargers.
Compton Unified School District (CUSD) in southern Los Angeles County is putting 17 Thomas Built Type A and eight Thomas Built Type C electric school buses on the road this spring. In addition to working with Thomas Built, CUSD also collaborated with electrification-as-a-service provider Highland Electric Fleet, utility Southern California Edison, and school transportation provider Durham School Services.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program awarded funds for the vehicles in the program’s first round. EPA also awarded CUSD funds for the third round of the program and anticipates introducing an additional 25 EV school buses in the future.
“I can’t stress enough how vital grants like these are and the need for continued support from our partners in government at the state and federal level to fund additional grants for school districts and their transportation partners that are ready to deliver and operate zero-emission buses,” said Tim Wertner, CEO of Durham School Services.
CUSD, which serves Compton and parts of the cities of Carson and Los Angeles, currently serves more than 17,000 students at 36 sites. The district has a high school graduation rate of 93% and an 88% college acceptance rate. One in 11 children in Los Angeles County have asthma, which makes the need for emissions-free school transportation that much more pressing.
Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus
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