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Kazakhstan’s Tengizchevroil to possibly face criminal case

Oil&Gas Materials 15 April 2021 11:24 (UTC +04:00)
Kazakhstan’s Tengizchevroil to possibly face criminal case

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 15

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Kazakhstan’s Tengizchevroil company will be prosecuted for excess emissions, Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Environmental Regulation and Control Committee Zulfukhar Zholdasov said, Trend reports citing Kazakh media.

On April 7, pollutants were released through the chimney at the Tengiz oil and gas field, which is operated by the Tengizchevroil (TCO). This became known as a result of a video of yellow smoke being published on social media. It was later reported that the yellow smoke was a result of the automatic blocking equipment failure.

“Currently an audit is underway, the damage is still being assessed. Before bringing the company to administrative responsibility, we need to send materials to law enforcement agencies to see if this can be considered a criminal offense. If the act is not criminally punishable, the company will be brought to administrative responsibility,” Zholdasov said.

He explained that the companies will still pay for damages, no matter what the law enforcement will conclude. Zholdasov added that an extended meeting with TCO representatives is planned for April 15.

In 1993, Tengizchevroil LLP was established on the basis of an agreement between Kazakhstan and Chevron. The company operates the Tengiz oil field in Kazakhstan.

The Tengiz oil field was discovered in 1979 and is one of the biggest and deepest oil fields in the world. The total explored reserves of Tengiz reach 3.2 billion tons, while recoverable reserves range from 890 million tons to 1.37 billion tons.

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