Second and third phases of Kashagan development will start on time

Second and third phases of development of Kashagan will start on time, Tengrinews.kz reports citing the press-service of KAZENERGY association. "Second and third phases of the project will start on time; the field is estimated to be profitable time-wise until 2112," the press-service cites deputy chairman of KazMunaiGas for Geology and Promising Projects Kurmangazy Iskaziyev. NCOC's External Relations Director Pierre Delpont gave the details of the concept of completion of the development prospects of the North-Caspian project. According to him, the participants of the North Caspian Sea Production Sharing Agreement (NCSPSA) consortium and the competent authority have reached an agreement on amendment 4 to the plan and the budget of the Kashagan field development. "The consortium still plans to start commercial oil production by the end of 2012. The first stage of the project is close to completion and we are preparing to put the field into service. In January 2012 the number of hours worked as part of the Consortium projects exceeded 1 million with no accidents registered," the representative of NCOC said. "As for the second stage of the project, we are currently analyzing a concept to improve its feasibility both for Kazakhstan and for the consortium. We are planning to complete this concept this year, coordinate it with Kazakhstan government and then start preliminary engineering of this stage of the project," Pierre Delpont said. He added that the final investment decision on the second stage will be made upon completion of the engineering. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is creating a high-tech service infrastructure. The onshore bases for support of the offshore operations will be equipped at the Caspian shore. This issue is currently reviewed for implementation by Kazakh Oil and Gas Institute. "As the super-giant field Kashagan is the main object of Kazakhstan sector of the Caspian Sea, the state will focus in the short-term on creation of the infrastructural base for the North-Caspian project," director of Kazakh Oil and Gas Institute Uzakbai Karabalin said. According to him, 4 locations had been set aside for the infrastructural bases: Atyrau, Aktau, Bautino and Kuryk villages.