Program of repair works on kashagan to be ready by march 2014

The international experts will submit the program of repair works on the pipeline on the Kashagan field to the Kazakhstan government no earlier than March 2014, Kazakhstan Minister of Oil and Gas Uzakbay Karabalin said at a press conference in Astana last week.

He said the first samples from the 4-km belt did not provide quality data.

“We have collected samples the second time, they will be examined during February and in March we will receive information about the scope, period and the program of repair works,” Minister added.

The commercial oil production on the giant field Kashagan in the Kazakhstan sector of the Caspian Sea started on September 11, 2013. However, several weeks later they had the first problems. The project operator NCOC consortium announced after several natural gas leakage cases that they have been caused by “cracking of the pipeline under the influence of the sulphides.”

The pipes were sent for examination to UK and the results were expected to be received at the end of January 2014.

NCOC partners include AgipCaspian Sea B.V. (16.81%), KMG Kashagan B.V. (16.88%), ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc. (16.81%), Inpex NorthCaspian Sea Ltd. (7.56%), Shell Kazakhstan Development B.V. (16.81%), Total EP Kazakhstan (16,. %) and CNPC Kazakhstan B.V. (8.33%). –0--