ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 29. First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar has raised concerns over recent incidents at the Tengiz oil field during a meeting with Managing Director of Chevron’s Eurasia business Derek Magness, Trend reports via the Kazakh government.
Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov and Chairman of the Board of
KazMunayGas Askhat Khassenov also participated at the meeting.
During the talks, the parties discussed the current state and
future prospects of bilateral ties in the oil and gas sector.
Special attention was paid to the Tengiz project, which is
considered the flagship of Kazakhstan-U.S. energy cooperation.
Magness noted that significant production results have been
achieved at Tengiz thanks to Kazakhstan’s favorable investment
climate. He highlighted the predictability of the regulatory
environment and constructive engagement with government
authorities, describing them as key factors for long-term
investment.
At the same time, Sklyar expressed concern over incidents at the
Tengiz field that led to a temporary suspension of production.
Chevron’s management informed the Kazakh side about measures taken
to eliminate the consequences of the incidents and about steps
aimed at the gradual increase of oil production. The company also
assured that concrete actions would be taken to prevent similar
situations in the future and to ensure the safe and reliable
operation of facilities.
The sides also addressed the development of geological exploration,
with Chevron expressing interest in a number of exploration
projects.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their
commitment to further strengthening long-term and mutually
beneficial cooperation, as well as their readiness for constructive
dialogue across all areas of engagement.
First discovered in 1979, the Tengiz field is estimated to hold 3.1 billion tons (approximately 25 billion barrels) of oil reserves. Tengizchevroil, a joint venture formed on April 6, 1993, between the government of Kazakhstan and Chevron, is primarily engaged in the development of the field.
On January 18, 2026, two fires broke out at the GTES-4 power generation plant at the field, affecting power distribution systems and causing Tengizchevroil to suspend oil production at the Tengiz and Korolev fields for safety reasons.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel