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Kazakhstan’s Kashagan field gives first oil

Full-fledged commercial oil development would begin within a month

ASTANA, September 11 (Itar-Tass) - Kazakhstan’s largest offshore oil and gas deposit, Kashagan, has produced its first oil, the press service of project operator North Caspian Operating Company said on Wednesday.

“NCOC announced today that Kashagan’s first well had been reactivated and produced its first oil volumes,” the press service said.

The head of Kazakhstan’s state-run company, KazMunaiGaz, Sauat Mynbayev, told reporters that full-fledged commercial oil development would begin within a month of first production.

Reserves of Kashagan located in the north of the Caspian Sea are estimated at 4.8 billion tonnes of oil and over one trillion cubic metres of gas. The start of the field’s oil production had been repeatedly postponed.

Partners in the Kashagan development project are KMG Kashagan B.V., a subsidiary of KazMunaiGaz, Italy’s Eni, France’s Total, Anglo-Dutch corporation Royal Dutch Shell, the United States’ ExxonMobil and Japan’s Inpex. Moreover, China National Petroleum Corporation is buying an eight percent stake in the project.

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