Astana, Kazakhstan, Sept.17
By Daniyar Mukhtarov - Trend:
Kazakh companies are not ready to carry out complex maintenance services in oil and gas sector, the country's Vice Minister of Energy Uzakbai Karabalin said Sept.16 at a press conference in Astana.
"Kazakhstan's companies are not ready to perform complex maintenance services in the oil sector. Therefore, our government and our ministry implement a policy of setting up of joint ventures with major foreign companies," Karabalin said.
He added that such joint ventures are being created today. He cited a number of joint ventures in Tengiz oilfield as an example.
Karabalin mentioned cluster rotary and directional drilling, repair and maintenance of certain types of oil and gas equipment, offshore drilling and underwater welding and more among the category of services hard for Kazakh companies operating in the oil and gas sector.
The deputy minister said that these works are expensive, and they are executed by foreign companies. He admitted that Kazakhstan cannot implement them itself since it has neither experience nor knowledge for that.
"We have a developed service sector, but our service company has not fully mastered all of the requirements of foreign companies in such complex fields as Kashagan, Karachaganak and Tengiz at the international level," Karabalin said. "But such services as drilling and well overhaul are performed mainly by Kazakh companies."
He expressed confidence that people of Kazakhstan will be able to master the difficult work and fully operate in this segment of services in time.