Leaking wells may cause ecological disaster at Caspian Sea

Drowned oil wells may cause an ecological disaster at the Caspian Sea, Tengrinews reports citing Atyrau oblast Akim (Governor) Baktykozha Izmukhambetov as saying late last week. “I would like to raise the issue of drowned wells in the Caspian Sea. There are currently around 1,400 leaking wells in the Caspian area. 128 of them are underwater. Works to eliminate the oil leaks were made in 2004-2009, but stopped after that. We have applied to the government with this issue and would like to ask you to support our application,” Izmukhambetov told Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev during the expanded government meeting in the President’s residence. These wells are not owned by anyone, he explained. “If we don’t take any measures, we could face an ecological problem requiring huge expenses to resolve,” the Akim said. Kazakhstan Minister of Oil and Gas uzakbai Karabalin said that the wells were being prepared for plugging and abandonment. “The money will be allocated from the budget and the geology commission will organize abandonment of these wells,” he explained. The president instructed Karabalin and Izmukhambetov to study this issue thoroughly. By Altynai Zhumzhumina