Yerbolat Yerkebulanov

Yerbolat Yerkebulanov is a Partner and Head of Subsoil Use Department (Almaty) of GRATA International. He has extensive experience in advising international clients on issues related to Oil & Gas, Mining, M&As, EPC contracts, commercial agreements, regulated procurements,

Prior to joining GRATA International in November 2010 Yerbolat gained experience as a legal counsel in the largest cellular communications operating company in Kazakhstan (07/2001-01/2006) and in the company owning two hydrocarbons contracts (02/2006-10/2010).

He has substantial experience in undertaking and supervising work for a number of oil and gas, mining and services companies, including, inter alia, Korean National Oil Corporation (KNOC), Rio Tinto, North Caspian Operating Company (Kashagan oil superfield), Polymetal, NordGold, Sinopec, Baker Hughes, Eurochem, Repsol, Pertamina, ENRC, CGNPC, Mubadala, MOL, JBIC, Tethys, MIE Holding, Severstal; or with regard to such companies as KPO (giant Karachaganak gas and condensate field), Maersk (Dunga field), Maten Petroleum, etc.

Education:

• Al-Farabi Kazakh State National University, 1996-2001, Specialist (BA/MA equivalent) in International Law  ;
• Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 2020-2022, LL.M in Civil Law.

Practices:

• Natural Resources;
• Contract Law;
• M&As;
• Infrastructural projects.

Languages:

• English;
• Kazakh;
• Russian;
• German (B2).

Membership:

Publications:

Author of a number of articles and Kazakhstan-related chapters of comparative guides on general and (or) specific issues of Oil & Gas and Mining regulation in Kazakhstan in local and foreign mass media (incl. OGEL, ICLG, Mondaq, Chambers and Partners).

Some of his publications  are:

• Kazakhstan: New Local Content Approach (OGEL, 2012);
• On Both Sides of the Caspian Sea: a Comparative Analysis of the Investment Law in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan Exclusively for Petroleum Analytical Journal (2013);
• Kazakhstan: New Investment Climate (2013);
• Kazakhstan - Oil & Gas Regulation 2014 (ICLG, 2014);
• Yerbolat Yerkebulanov’s interview in the newspaper “Drilling Solutions” (October 2015);
• Kazakhstan: Procurement and National Suppliers (April 2016);
• Mining Law 2016;
• The International Comparative legal guide to: Mining Law 2017 (September 2016);
• Key Potential Changes in Oil and Gas Regulation (April 2017);
• Chapter Kazakhstan in Benchmarking Public Procurement 2017 by World Bank (on behalf of GRATA together with Zhibek Balabekova);
• Translation of the New Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use for mining companies (March 2018);
• Mining 2021: Kazakhstan (February 2021);
• Oil & Gas Comparative Guide: Kazakhstan (January 2022);
• Chapter 21: Kazakhstan ("Governing Law and Dispute Resolution in the Oil and Gas Industry" by Elgar Energy Law and Practice) (August 2022).

Made presentations on the state’s investment policy in Moscow, London, Aberdeen and Ashgabat (online seminar, organized by the OSCE Center in Ashgabat), as well as on legal aspects of doing business in Kazakhstan at meetings in Almaty organized by embassies of Indonesia, France, Malaysia.

Conducted about 50 seminars on issues of local content, procurement, reporting and inspections of subsoil users, construction of objects of oil and gas sphere, pledge of the subsoil use right, novelties of the Subsoil Code in Aksai (KPO), Atyrau (NCOC, TCO), Aktau, Borovoe, Karaganda, Kyzylorda, Astana and Almaty.