Major contracts signed under Shah Deniz project in Azerbaijan
The consortium for the development of the Shah Deniz gas condensate field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea has signed a contract with the consortium consisting of BOS Shelf LLC, Saipem Contracting Netherlands B.V. and Star Gulf FZCO for the fabrication of the jackets for the two planned offshore platforms, pin piles and subsea structures under the Shah Deniz-2 project.
The total cost of the contract is $750 million.
The first contract, for its part, includes construction of two single batter jackets - both 110 metres in height. The jackets will weigh 13,400 and 12,300 tonnes including the flotation tanks. In addition, the contract includes the fabrication of 2,300 subsea structures with a total weight of 30,000 tonnes.
In addition, the Shah Deniz consortium has also recently awarded a contract for the supply of the subsea production systems. The estimated value of this contract is $394 million and it has been awarded to FMC Technologies Inc. The scope of work under this contract includes the supply of equipment for the first two production clusters consisting of subsea manifolds, associated controls and connection components.
Iran's FM confirms oil-for-good deal with Russia
Iran officially confirmed that negotiations related to bartering Iranian oil with Russian goods are continuing, Deputy Foreign Minister for Caspian Sea, Asia and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour who also serves as the country`s special representative in Caspian Sea issues said.
Iran and Russia are negotiating about the details of oil, gas and other products bartering.
"The various bilateral technical talks continue about the details of the deal," he said.
Iran and Russia are reportedly negotiating to barter 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil per day, with Russian goods. The U.S. warned about the consequences of a probable deal which creates an opportunity for Iran to sell $20 billion further crude oil.
Kazakhstan postpones project on construction of gas pipeline to Astana
Kazakhstan assessed the project on construction of gas pipeline to Astana through the country's northern regions as costly and postponed its implementation, according to Kazakh Oil and Gas Minister Uzakbai Karabalin.
Karabalin made the remarks at the 'government hour' held on April 7 in the lower chamber of Kazakh parliament.
"The construction of the Kartali-Tobol-Kokshetau-Astana pipeline requires over $1 billion, according to the feasibility study. On the proposal of the Economy Ministry and given the possibility of the country's budget, this project was acknowledged as costly, and it was proposed to postpone it for a while," the minister said.
Resuming of production on Kashagan field may be postponed indefinitely
In case of detection of cracks in the offshore section of the oil pipeline, the resumption of production at the Kashagan field can be postponed indefinitely, according to the Kazakh Minister of Oil and Gas, Uzakbai Karabalin.
"There are concerns that, possible microcracks exist also in the offshore section of the oil pipeline. If cracks are found in the onshore section of the pipeline, then it can be fixed this year. If the cracks are offshore then we would need navigation and re-laying of the pipelines. This will take a longer period," Karabalin said.
Kazakhstan discuss providing foreign investors with incentives in exploration
The preferences and privileges for foreign investors who decided to begin exploration in the country are being discussed in Kazakhstan, head of the "Society of Petroleum Geologists of Kazakhstan" Baltabek Kuandikov said.
"The meetings were held with the Kazakh minister of oil and gas, and the minister of economy and budget planning," he said. "The purpose was to resolve the issue of privileges and preferences that Kazakhstan can deliver to the members of the international consortia that will be willing to come to the country to explore deeper horizons on its territory."
"The country can not do without the latest technologies that world companies have," he added.
"We have explored everything at the depth of up to five kilometers in Kazakhstan," he said.
"We will not find such fields as Tengiz or Kashagan at these depths. The Caspian region is rich in oil, but it lies in the deep horizons, according to the estimates of Kazakh and international experts."
Trans-Caspian gas pipeline one of important tasks for Turkmenistan - president
Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov at a special meeting, has recently outlined the works on the project of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline as being among the important ones.
The report of the State Agency for Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources under the President of Turkmenistan on ongoing systematic and effective work within the framework of the Trans-Caspian pipeline construction project, was also read out at the meeting.
The Turkmen leadership has repeatedly expressed its readiness to conduct environmental impact assessment with the participation of international experts in order to implement this project.