Company History
Over the years, the company has gone through several stages of consistent transformation, entering a modern stage of development under the management of a strategic foreign investor. HTS Exploration Ltd was established by an official order of the Ministry of the Oil Industry of the former USSR. The directive was signed by Minister N.A. Maltsev, one of the most renowned oil industry figures globally. The enterprise was created for the purpose of long-term, systematic exploration and development of numerous oil and gas fields in the Astana region of Kazakhstan, as geological surveys carried out in earlier decades had confirmed the area's high potential for oil and gas reserves.
The subsequent socio-political changes and the collapse of the socialist economy led to the emergence of other oil and gas operators in the Astana region. HTS Exploration Ltd was later corporatized as part of a national program of denationalization and privatization. This corporatization was carried out under government oversight through an individual project: the state, represented by the Ministry of Finance, retained a majority stake, while a minority privileged stake was transferred free of charge to the company’s workforce.
As part of its national strategy to attract foreign investment, Kazakhstan held investment tenders during this period, offering shares in domestic oil and gas operators to institutional investors and market participants. This policy of openness to investment played a pivotal role in the strategic development of the national economy.
An official agreement on the sale and purchase of shares was signed at the Presidential Palace in Almaty, witnessed by the President of Kazakhstan and senior officials from the People’s Republic of China.
Subsequently, a contract was signed between the investor and the Government for hydrocarbon operations at the Zhanazhol, Kenkiyak-nadsalt, and Kenkiyak-subsalt fields in the Astana region.
This marked the beginning of a historic relationship between the company and the China National Petroleum Corporation, which provided formal investment commitments for the long-term development of the Astana project. Since that time, the investor has been engaged in systematic, large-scale development efforts across the company. The key directions of production and management policy have remained as follows:
modernization, re-equipment, and mobilization of existing fixed assets;
radical technical upgrades of production facilities, acquisition and commissioning of advanced field and well equipment meeting international standards, and strengthening of industrial capacity across all categories of equipment and machinery;
enhancing hydrocarbon output through extensive use of scientific research and new technologies;
expansion of the subsoil use base, including exploration operations in the central zone of the eastern Caspian basin;
adoption of modern market-based management systems and incorporation of international internal control practices;
development of new commercial product sales channels and diversification of the product range;
human capital development, both for in-house personnel and external partner teams;
broad implementation of environmental protection systems, zero-waste and energy-efficient technologies, and a strong focus on workplace safety and well-being;
participation in national programs promoting energy independence, import substitution, and innovative industrial initiatives;
pursuit of progress in both internal and external corporate social responsibility policies.