Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry forms commission to probe Tengiz production halt
ASTANA. Jan 22 (Interfax) - The Kazakh Energy Ministry has established a special commission to investigate the suspension of oil production at the Tengiz field following power supply failure, the ministry's press service said.
"A special commission has been set up and has begun to clarify all circumstances surrounding the technological incident that occurred on January 18, including the shutdown of gas turbine units," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Deputy Energy Minister Kaiyrkhan Tutkyshbayev is visiting Tengiz to monitor the situation and maintain coordination with the operator of the field.
The commission includes representatives of the regional department of the State Power Supervision and Control Committee, the energy department of the Atyrau regional administration, power grid operator KEGOC, and Tengizchevroil (TCO).
"The temporary suspension of production was carried out by the operator in line with safety requirements in order to protect personnel and equipment," the statement said.
The commission is conducting a detailed technical analysis of the incident. Official conclusions on its causes and consequences will be released after the investigation is completed. The situation remains under the ministry's control.
Earlier reports said a transformer caught fire at the Tengiz field on January 18. The fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported, while media said operations initially continued as normal. On January 19, Tengizchevroil announced it had temporarily halted production at the Tengiz and Korolev fields due to power supply problems.
The Tengiz field was discovered in 1979 and now is one of the world's deepest producing super giant fields. Estimated oil in place in the Tengiz field is 3.1 billion metric tonnes. The field is developed by Tengizchevroil JV (TCO), which is owned by Chevron Corp. (50%), ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc. (25%), Kazakhstan through National Company KazMunayGas (20%) and Lukoil (5%). The company has been operating in Kazakhstan since 1993.
