KazMunayGas is expanding its share in the market of energy resources
The company’s aspiration to expand Kazakhstani assets and acquire foreign assets is explained by the intention to earn as much profit as possible. KazMunayGas NC President, Uzakbai Karabalin, shares information on current projects and the future plans of the company for O&G readers. details >>
Personnel shuffles, or Why did Kulibayev leave Samruk
As usual, the autumn in Kazakhstan is rich in personnel shuffles. Among the newly appointed persons there is no one unknown, except for new General Director of KazTransGas, who became the head of a national company for the first time. The recent appointments, which, to speak more precisely, could be called horizontal shuffles, have demonstrated the incredibly strengthened Timur Kulibayev’s position after resignation of the displeasing Rakhat Aliyev, the political death of which brought a breath of relief to the economic elite and not only in the petroleum industry. details >>
Kashagan: adult games or expecting the bargain
Italian Eni, project operator of Kashagan, announced another delay of industrial production launch date at Kashagan from 2008 to second half of 2010; besides, an operator declared a substantial increase in the project cost from $57 billion to $136 billion. In response to this fact, Astana announced that it might call off the status of operator from Eni as well as require the change of contract terms. details >>
Drilling at the Zhemchuzhina is starting
in Astana there was held a ceremony of transferring the operating rights under PSA on Zhemchuzhina from Shell EP Offshore Ventures Ltd. intermediary operating company to Caspian Meruerty Operating Company B.V. (CMOC) Joint Operating Company details >>
OPP processing capacity at Ceyhan to be increased
KazMunayGas, Calik Energy and Indian Oil produced a decision to increase the capacities of future OPP in Ceyhan from 15 million to 20 million tons per year. Such resolution was recently made during last negotiations between the representatives of three countries in Deli. details >>
Kazakhstan and China: not merely good neighbors but also reliable partners
In the last years Kazakhstan-China collaboration has reached a special point of progress particularly in the oil and gas industry. The fast growing market of China makes this country a prospective direction for diversification of Kazakhstani hydrocarbon raw materials. Mr. Xiyun Zhang, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of CPR in RK, will tell O&G’s readers what steps are being taken by both states towards strengthening of bilateral relationships in the oil and gas and petrochemical sphere. details >>
Kanatbek Safinov: National security above all
Development and strengthening of public presence in the energy sector, in Kazakhstan, should lead to the adoption of a law on nationalization defining the clear legal frames for nationalization of some kinds of property, which, on the one hand, will enable to advocate the national interests of the state more effectively and, on the other hand, will set more apparent rules for. We ask Kanatbek Safinov, a leading lawyer in the field of subsoil use, Managing Director and member of the Board of the Kazakhstan Holding Company for Samruk State Assets Management, to share his opinion on this matter. details >>
Bolat Uzhkenov: Kazakhstan is prospective not only by the Caspian
The implementation by Kazakhstan of its ambitious plans to be comprised in the top ten largest oil-producing countries by 2015 seems impossible without replenishment of the Kazakhstan resources base. Considering that, the government gradually increases the scope of financing of exploration operations to discover hydrocarbon-containing reserves.
The most considerable increase in geological reserves and in production of hydrocarbon-containing reserves is expected due to mainly those, extracted in the Kazakhstan Caspian Sea sector, which are roughly estimated at 8 billion tons of crude oil and up to 2 trillion cubic meters of gas. The above figures are set by the geological service in its program on the short-term run, which the Chairman of the Committee for Geology and Subsoil Protection of the RK Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bolat Uzhkenov, is sharing with us. details >>
Evgeniy Ogai: It is worth the risk. Caspian will astonish us again
The oil industry workers called the drilling of the first well at Tyub-Karagan in the spring of 2005 a historical moment, when the KazMunayGas National Company became a participant of the large offshore project for the first time and initiated the exploration of subsoil. Two years have passed since that and we have two negative results at the shelf.
At the same time the dynamic increase in the number of potentially rich structures remains an important task for the KMG geological service. The KMG geological and technical service Managing Director, Evgeniy Ogai, shares his views on what steps the KazMunayGas National Company takes in this direction. details >>
REGIONS
Bergey Ryskaliev: Atyrau is getting ready for big projects
Atyrau oblast is one of the most dynamically developing in the republic. Oil and gas sector has historically played a predominant role within the structure of economy. They call it the locomotive of oil and gas industry of Kazakhstan. Akim of Atyrau oblast Bergey Ryskaliev, talks on the oblast developments. details >>
Rapid development of Western Kazakhstan
The development of the Karachaganak gas-condensate field is one of the biggest investment projects in Kazakhstan with foreign investment in the amount of over 6 million US Dollars. But this is not the only project in the Western Kazakhstan oblast, which is expected to be implemented in the near future. Now there are 11 breakthrough projects determined for the oblast, in which 12 million US dollars will be invested. Kaliollah Karagoyshin, the press-secretary of Akim of the Western-Kazakhstan oblast, will speak on which steps will be taken to implement these projects and to develop Karachaganak, the biggest gas-condensate field. details >>
Aktau Seaport Free Economic Zone: The Caspian infrastructure
By 2015, Kazakhstan plans to produce annually 140 million tons of oil. In connection with this the Republic’s plans to diversify hydrocarbon raw materials are coming to the fore this is impossible to implement without a relevant infrastructure. It is for the purposes of forming this infrastructure and developing the Caspian Shelf that the Aktau Seaport Free Economic Zone was established. The Director of the Aktau Seaport Free Economic Zone, Zinullah Kaziyev, will talk about what projects are being implemented and are expected to be implemented in the free economic zone with consideration to preparation for the ‘Big Caspian oil’. details >>
TRANSPORTATION
Kayirgeldi Kabyldin: We are building a multi-vector system
Considering the remote location of Kazakhstan from major world petroleum and gas markets the development of the transportation system is growing extremely important for KazMunayGas. This has become particularly crucial during this period of developing the promising Caspian shelf fields, when the country will face the challenge of large hydrocarbon volumes to be transported to the world markets. KMG Vice-President for oil and gas transportation, service projects, Kayirgeldy Kabyldin*, believes that following the implementation of KCTS and the Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline second stage we can assert that a multi-vector oil transportation exports system has been built. details >>
Berik Tolumbaev: The Caspian oil will go to China
Taking into account the remoteness of Kazakhstan from the main world oil centers, the Kazakhstan-China pipeline, Atasu-Alashankou, is one of the most successfully realized Kazakhstani projects of export pipelines for the purposes of solving the strategic issues of transportation of Kazakhstani oil. But for Kazakhstan the sky is the limit: KazTransOil intends to link the oil pipeline from China with the Caspian Sea. O&G spoke with Berik Tolumbaev, the General Director of KTO, on the development prospects of the company. details >>
KazTransGas: To meet gas demand in southern Kazakhstan
One of the most important directions of KazTransGas investment activities is the development of the domestic gas supply system in Kazakhstan. Regarding the development of the distribution complex the company is planning to implement investment projects on reconstruction and modernization of existing regional gas pipelines and the erections on them.
Today, JSC KazTransGas group of companies is assessing the possible schemes for effective financing of the gas distribution complex reconstruction and modernization so that the completion of these projects does not have a negative impact on the pricing strategy in the region. KazTransGas General Director, Yesenali Usenov, shares information on current projects and the future plans of the company for O&G readers. details >>
From the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea
When speaking at the Petersburg International Economic Forum, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev suggested construction of the Eurasian Channel from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea. In the case of the project being implemented, not only Kazakhstan, but also all Central Asia countries and Western China could transport their cargo over this channel. Serik Akhmetov, Transportation and Communications Minister, tells us more details about this channel project and other transportation - related projects. details >>
Turkmenistan has given its sub-soil riches to China
Currently, there exist at least three mutually competing projects for exporting the Caspian oil, i.e. exporting to Russia, to China and to the Western Countries via Azerbaijan. Remarkably, all of these projects deal with nearly the same quantities of crude to be taken from the same fields. details >>
COMPANIES
CNPC-Aktobemunaigaz: 10 years of accomplishments
In 1997 a major top-ranking investor came to the oil and gas industry - the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which took part in the tender of independent programs under the project Aktobemunaigas. That was the first CNPC project in Kazakhstan, and it was a starting point of their investment activities which include -development of the Zhanazhol oilfield, Kenkiyak the Subsalt and Kenkiyak the Suprasalt oilfields in the Aktobe oblast. In the current year this collaboration will have accomplished 10 years - a symbolical event not only for the company itself but also for Kazakhstan-China relationships. Therefore, our conversation with Mr. Van Wang Zhongcai, General Director of JSC CNPC-Aktobemunaigas, was started by talking about how that project commenced. details >>
Oil storehouse at Uzen is to be liquidated
One day in the winter of 1970 when the Mangistau Oblast witnessed an abnormally sharp frost thousands kilometers of pipeline, which transported oil from the Mangyshlak peninsula to the Russian city of Samara, were disabled. Stoppage of transportation could automatically cause an industrial strike. In response the first decision was made to decrease oil production to limits, which could ensure minimum load for the oil fields to remain functioning; secondly, it was chosen to unload the produced petroleum into a holding area, located in close proximity Uzen oil preparation factory. For this reason an artificial lake was created by the “efforts” of oil industry workers not far away from Zhanaozen. Since that time none of the oil company owners, overall there were four of them, bothered to take effective steps to liquidate this “man-caused miracle”. We interviewed Munay-Ecology Company LLP President, Serik Baymukhanbetov, on the question of when the oil storehouse is to be liquidated. details >>
