Kazakhstan gas cylinders raise safety fears after blast

A deadly gas cylinder explosion in northern Kazakhstan has renewed concern over the country’s reliance on bottled gas, despite its large natural gas reserves.

The blast ripped through a building in Shchuchinsk in February, killing 12 people. Zarina Giyassova, who worked at the restaurant hit by the explosion, suffered burns to 65 percent of her body.

Kazakhstan’s gas distribution network is fragmented, forcing about one third of its 20 million people to rely on cylinders. Authorities said around 350,000 Soviet-era cylinders made in the 1970s and 1980s were still in circulation at the end of 2024.

The government ordered a review of gas cylinder use after the Shchuchinsk blast, but the supplied details did not set out the review’s scope.

Residents described the lack of alternatives. Yaroslav Voronov, a 34-year-old appliance store salesman, said the cylinders were “not very safe” but that many people had no centralised gas network. He said users had to accept a degree of risk.

Kazakhstan’s government has promised to build pipelines to reach 65 percent gas connectivity by 2030. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in May that Gazprom planned to optimise and expand Kazakhstan’s gas transport infrastructure to help guarantee stable energy supply.

But Kazakhstan’s size and low population density make pipeline projects difficult and economically uncertain. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has criticised what he called the “intolerable slowness” of bringing new gas fields into service.

Some Shchuchinsk residents have switched to electricity, but Kazakhstan’s electricity grid is also weak. Authorities say it is 76 percent worn out and cannot cope with high voltage, while power surges often cause fires.