The first Kashagan crude run to be sent to consumers in the second half of October

Astana. September 27. Silkroadnews – The first Kashagan crude run is planned to be sent to consumers in the second half of October this year, KazTAG reports.

«We think the wells opening will start these days», Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kanat Bozumbayev told reporters after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

«We assume the first run to be sent in the second half of October, somewhere in between October 15-23», he explained.

As previously reported, according to K. Bozumbayev, the official launch of Kashagan was planned for the late October/early November this year.

The Chairman of the Board of JSC «NC «KazMunayGas»» Sauat Mynbayev also clarified, «in the middle or at the end of November the commercial extraction production level will be announced».

Previously the initial stage of production was said to reach 75 thousand bpd. As part of the experimental-industrial development it is expected to bring the daily crude output to 375 thousand bpd.

Kashagan is the major oil and gas field in Kazakhstan, located in the north of the Caspian Sea. The geological oil reserves, the recent data says, estimated at 35 billion barrels; the commercial resources are estimated to amount from 9 billion to 13 billion barrels of oil. There are also large reserves of natural gas amounting to more than 1 trillion cubic meters.

The oil production at Kashagan began on September 11, 2013. However, on September 24 of the same year, the routine inspection of the pipeline coming from the island of D to «Bolashak» plant revealed an associated gas leakage, so the production works have been suspended.

After completion of repairs in October the routine inspection once again showed signs of leakage. The cause of the gas leakage was said to be the pipeline cracking under the sulfide compounds influence.