Photo: KazMunayGas (KMG)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. KazMunayGas (KMG) plans to deploy digital twins at 12 oil fields by the end of 2028, covering more than 90% of the group’s oil production, Chairman of the Management Board Askhat Khassenov said at the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum in Astana, according to the company's press service.

Khassenov reported to Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov on the implementation of digital projects at production facilities.

He noted that scaling up the project is expected to enable an additional 2.8 million tons of oil to be produced, while the economic effect is estimated at 326 billion tenge (about $737.8 million).

“One of the projects being implemented by the national company is a digital twin of oil fields using artificial intelligence (AI). The system combines data on reservoirs, wells and production, calculates development scenarios and offers optimal options based on technological and economic efficiency. AI processes large amounts of data and generates recommendations within several hours, whereas such calculations previously took months,” the company said in a press release.

For mature KMG fields, where the share of hard-to-recover reserves is increasing, the use of new technologies is becoming particularly important. Digital tools make it possible to analyze data more accurately, reduce calculation times, and select solutions for further field development.

Khassenov presented the digital twin of the Vostochny Moldabek field operated by Embamunaigas in Kazakhstan’s Atyrau region.

At the field, the digital reservoir model calculated around 700 development scenarios. The system also ranks wells by potential, automatically selects candidates for geological and technical measures, and helps determine well operating modes, including by forecasting potential complications.

The digital production system monitors the well stock, with data updated every five minutes, allowing the company to track well conditions and respond to deviations more quickly.

Khassenov said the use of digital tools could reduce production losses by 5% and cut labor costs by up to 15%.