Kazakh Energy Ministry expects Tengiz field to restart production within week

ASTANA. Jan 28 (Interfax) - Oil production at Kazakhstan's Tengiz field, which was suspended on January 18 due to a transformer fire, will be restored within a week, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said at a briefing on Wednesday.

"The stage of starting up the Tengiz field has begun. We expect that Tengiz will fully start up within a week," Akkenzhenov said.

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 Energy Ministry established a special commission to investigate the suspension of oil production at the Tengiz field following power supply failure.

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.

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.