QAZAQ GREEN. Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting with Luca Vignati, Upstream Director of the Italian company ENI, on issues of cooperation in the energy industry, according to Premier’s Press Office.

Current joint work at the Karachaganak and Kashagan fields was reviewed, and issues of launching new renewable energy sources projects were discussed.

The meeting participants noted the planned implementation of the Karachaganak expansion project. Today, to maintain production at the level of 11 million tons per year, the process of commissioning additional 5-6 sour gas reinjection compressors continues. The project for the construction of a gas processing plant with a capacity of 4 billion m3/year is in the active phase of implementation, the commissioning of which will provide the population with commercial gas at an affordable price.

Work on the full-scale development of the Kashagan field is being carried out in a timely manner and is under the special control of the Government. The parties also discussed matters related to the upcoming construction of a gas processing plant.

During the discussions, special attention was paid to the positive experience of cooperation with ENI in the implementation of renewable energy sources projects in Kazakhstan. In particular, the commissioning of the Badamsha-1 and Badamsha-2 Wind Power Plants in the Aktobe region and the Shaulder Solar Power Plant in the Turkestan region were noted. In the coming period, work will be aimed at the joint construction of a Hybrid Power Plant in the Mangystau region operating on both renewable energy sources and natural gas with a total capacity of 247 MW. This will eliminate the risk of emergency shutdowns during production operations.

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov emphasized the importance of increasing the share of Kazakh content in the procurement of goods, works and services during the implementation of projects in Karachaganak and Kashagan.

Following the meeting, the participants confirmed their intention to further develop long-term cooperation.