Expert: Russia and China increase their presence in Kazakh oil sector

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A statement made by Kazakh Environment Minister Nurlan Iskakov that there are substantial grounds to fully suspend works on the Kashagan field development are, first of all, a wish to replace the operator of the field, Kazakh economist, the chair of the Alma-Ata Public Anti-Monopoly Commission Pyotr Svoik told a REGNUM correspondent today.

“First of all, it is a wish to change the operator, not only to change, but, if not to make a Kazakh juridical person the operator, than to increase Kazakhstan’s presence in the projects, which the key thing. There is an addition to the wish — common dissatisfaction with the pace of the works at Kashagan, as the works are carried out not as fast as they want it,” the expert said.

Pyotr Svoik noted that in recent time, amount of the export of Kazakh oil have buzzed, and only Kashagan can make a breakthrough in the field. In connection with information released on August 22 that Gazpromneft founded its own sale companies Gazpromneft-Tajikistan and Gazpromneft-Kazakhstan in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, the expert noted that the fact can mean increase of Russia’s interest in Kazakhstan in this sector of the economy.

According to Svoik, a fundamentally new period is starting in Kazakhstan in distribution of priorities in oil extraction: if earlier the American-European presence was dominant in the sector, now Russia and China are increasing their presence. “Competition in the field has increased seriously, so now Kazakhstan is a participant in it as well. Earlier, it was present when there was foreign extraction, now it is trying to implement its own ambitions,” the expert noted.

Earlier, the Kazakh government started sorting out its relations with the investors that are delaying commercial oil extraction in the Caspian Sea. On August 21, Prime Minister Karim Masimov made an instruction to do this. Several international companies are involved in the development of the largest field in the Caspian Sea within Agip KCO, including Eni, Total, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch/Shell (by 18.52% share for each), ConocoPhillips – 9.26%, Inpex and KazMunayGaz- by 8.33%.