BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 12
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
The production facilities at Kazakhstan’s Tengiz oil and gas field are operating normally, the official at Chevron – parent company of Tengizchevroil (TCO) – told Trend.
The official noted that amid the unstable situation in Kazakhstan, the workplace environment is stable at Tengiz.
“TCO continues to focus on ensuring the health and safety of its workforce,” the company said.
In April 1993, Tengizchevroil was formed between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Chevron Corporation.
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.
Kazakhstan's government announced late Jan. 4 that it was restoring some price caps on liquefied petroleum gas, after the rare protests reached Almaty following a sharp rise in the price of the fuel at the start of the year.
Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on LPG, which is far cheaper than gasoline as a vehicle fuel in Kazakhstan because of price caps. But the government argued that the low price was unsustainable and lifted the caps on Jan. 1.
After the price of the fuel spiked, big demonstrations erupted on Jan. 2 in certain parts of the country. Public protests are illegal in the country unless their organizers file a notice in advance.
Following the development of the situation, the government declared a state of emergency all over the country. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the government initiated anti-terrorist operations to deal with the ongoing riots.
Also, the divisions of the united peacekeeping contingent of CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) arrived in Kazakhstan to assist in restoring order and help protect strategic objects of the country.
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