The link would be operational by 2010, when Kashagan is due to start producing large quantities of oil.
“The Kazakhstan Caspian Transport System will provide one of the major oil export routes from Kashagan without damage to the Caspian environment,” Mr Przybysz said. “I think that in the future this transport system could be linked to the Russian, Chinese, and Iranian systems,” he added. He said the system could transport oil from other fields as well as Kashagan. “This is the subject of talks between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, which are close to signing an international agreement,” Mr Przybysz added.
Total will finance the link along with its partners in Kashagan, who are Eni, ConocoPhillips, and Inpex of Japan, all shareholders in the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, which is due to be officially launched next month (on 13 July). The Kashagan field will start producing from its reserves of more than 2bn tons of oil and more than 1 trillion cum of gas in 2008, but its production does not have an export route from the land-locked Caspian Sea.
