Eco activists report oil spill near Kashagan oil field
According to Galina Chernova, head of the Globus non-profit organization, her colleagues involved in space monitoring noticed oil spillage near the Kashagan oil field in the Caspian Sea on March 30.
«The group responsible for space monitoring noticed a picture from Sentinel-1A, a European satellite, of an oil spill near the Kashagan oil field,» she wrote on Facebook.
The specialist says that there might be several reasons for such a spill:
– Accidental or emergency leak of oil during the production process;
– Oily wastewater discharge instead of proper treatment onshore and
– An emergency with a service ship that could be responsible for the spill.
«The spillage’s space is about seven square kilometers. It is drifting to the northern part of the Caspian Sea. I have some questions for the NCOC. What happened? Whose fault is it? What have you done to cope with the problem? Also, I have questions for the Department of Environment of the Atyrau region: are you aware of this emergency at the Kashagan oil field? Have you evaluated the damage to the maritime environment and biodiversity of this part of the Caspian Sea by the oil spill?» Chernova wrote in her post on social media.
She also noted that on March 29, NCOC conducted a public hearing on its maritime work in the Damba village.
«To all questions from the audience and people watching the meeting via Zoom, the company’s representatives replied that there was no air pollution or water contamination. In their reports and presentations, NCOC managers said that the company was pursuing zero emissions and discharges to the environment. But is it true?! I don’t think so. The spillage we’ve seen from space proves this clearly,» the eco-activist said.
The Ministry of Ecology hasn’t yet responded to Kursiv’s request to comment on the situation.
The context. Kashagan is one of the biggest oil fields in the world discovered over the past few decades. It’s been operational since 2016. Foreign investors faced many difficulties and unexpected expenditures during the project’s implementation. They even dubbed the Kashagan project Cash-All-Gone.
The North Caspian Operating Company is Kashagan’s operator. The consortium consists of KMG Kashagan B.V. (16.877%), Shell Kazakhstan Development B.V. (16.807%), Total EP Kazakhstan (16.807%), AgipCaspian Sea B.V. (16.807%), ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc. (16.807%), CNPC Kazakhstan B.V. (8.333%) and INPEX North Caspian Sea Ltd. (7.563%).
In September 2023, the government said it was expecting a sixfold increase in oil output on Kashagan. The projection was made against the backdrop of claims to investors.
In February 2024, the specialized administrative court in Atyrau fined NCOC $27.7 million for burning sulfur dioxide gas and discharging wastewater into the Caspian Sea.
