BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr.30
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak Gas Debottlenecking (KGDBN) Project is ahead of schedule, but COVID-19 pandemic has affected the project, a representative of Eni company told Trend.
Eni’s production of oil and natural gas in Kazakhstan amounted to 173,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 1Q2020, compared to 148,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 1Q2019.
Eni’s production of liquids in Kazakhstan was 117,000 barrels a day in 1Q2020 (96,000 barrels a day in 1Q2019), whereas the company’s natural gas production in Kazakhstan was 304 million cubic feet per day in 1Q2020 compared to 286 million cubic feet per day in 1Q2019.
“Kashagan has reached a stable production of 400,000 barrels of oil per day; on Feb. 17, 2020 Kashagan achieved its historical production record since start-up (412,000 barrels of oil per day),” the official said.
Talking about COVID-19 impact, the official said that Kashagan has adopted specific procedures from the very early stage of development of the coronavirus in the country to create a barrier to prevent the entrance of the virus to the operational site.
During 1Q2020, production activity was not impacted given the large presence of local workforce and the mitigation measure (smart working) implemented by Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO), Eni said.
"KGDBN Project is ahead of schedule, but due to COVİD-19 pandemic the project has been impacted. Estimated delay is about 1-2 months, bringing the startup of the project to 1Q2021," the official said.
Eni has been present in Kazakhstan since 1992. Eni is joint operator of the Karachaganak field and is an equity partner in various projects in the Northern Caspian Sea, including the giant Kashagan field.
Eni is the joint subsoil user and joint operator, with Kazakh KazMunayGas, of the offshore exploration blocks Isatay and Abay. Equity production is currently 180,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
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