#KazakhstanCutsOilOutputForecastTo96MTons Kazakhstan has officially lowered its 2026 oil production target to 96 million metric tons from an initial forecast of 98 million metric tons, according to a government briefing by Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov.Key Factors Behind the RevisionInfrastructure Disruptions: The country expects a direct loss of 3.5 million tons in output capacity. This stems from$BTC ongoing security disruptions and Ukrainian drone attacks targeting the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) facilities. The CPC handles approximately 80% of Kazakhstan's crude oil exports via the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.Maintenance Adjustments: To balance out the logistical setbacks and export bottlenecks, the Ministry of Energy has chosen to postpone planned maintenance operations at North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC) fields until next year.$DOGS