Oil Chronicles
Oil Chronicles. June 2025
June
Suzanne Coogan was appointed Senior Vice President and Country Chair of Shell in Kazakhstan. She will assume her duties in Astana starting July 1. Previously, she held the position of Vice President for Exploration in key countries, including Namibia, at Shell Exploration and Production, as well as Vice President for Namibia.
Suzanne has nearly 20 years of experience in exploration, having worked in Brunei, the United States, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. She is originally from Ireland and holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s degree in exploration geophysics. She is married to a fellow geophysicist, and they have three children.
The General Director of KMG Kashagan B.V., Kuanysh Kudaibergenov, has left his position to join Chevron's leadership development program at its headquarters in the United States. His role has been resumed by First Deputy General Director Bakhytzhan Khasanov, who held the position from February to July 2024, prior to Kudaibergenov’s appointment.
Khasanov is an experienced executive with over 35 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, including work with both national and international companies.
June 7, prominent Kazakhstani geologist, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan, one of the discoverers of the unique Kashagan field, and former head of the national company Kazakhoil (1997–1998), Baltabek Mukhanovich Kuandykov, passed away. In recent years, he headed the Kazakhstan Society of Petroleum Geologists and initiated the international geological project Eurasia, which envisions drilling an ultra-deep well in the Pre-Caspian Basin.
Starting June 8, Kazakhstan reduced the tariff for transit transportation of oil products to Kyrgyzstan by 20%. The country is critically dependent on imports of oil products from Russia, which are transported by rail through Kazakhstan in transit.
Kazakhstan also exports gasoline, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas, and other oil products to the neighbouring republic.
Zarina Bakenova, who previously worked as General Manager for Government and Public Relations at NCOC and Shell Kazakhstan, has become Director for Business Development in the public sector for Central Asia at Mastercard.
Zarina is a graduate of the American University in Bulgaria, Harvard Business School, and the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. She is a certified director of the Institute of Directors UK (IoD UK) and a speaker at the United Nations.
Yeltai Aliyev was appointed Director of the Gas Industry Department of the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan. He graduated from Moscow State University of Fine Chemical Technologies, named after M.V. Lomonosov. He began his career as an operator at the Caspi Bitum JV bitumen plant. He worked at the KAZENERGY Association and, since 2022, at the Ministry of Energy as Head of the Department for Liquefied and Oil Gas, most recently serving as Deputy Director of the Gas Industry Department.
The Samruk-Kazyna Fund and the Italian engineering group Maire (Tecnimont and Nextchem) signed a memorandum of cooperation providing for the following areas of partnership:
- the Polyethylene project in Atyrau Region. Maire Tecnimont began development of an Extended Basic Design (EBD) for polymerization units, alpha-olefins, and general utilities;
- joint implementation of projects in the field of traditional and green energy, as well as in decarbonization and localization of production;
- MAIRE will open in Kazakhstan a regional engineering and operations hub, which will become a center for large-scale projects in the region;
- the company is launching internship programs for students of Kazakhstani universities to develop local human capital in the energy sector.
Construction has started on a plant for receiving, transshipment, and fractionation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the Kashagan field in Atyrau Region. The project is being implemented by Eskene LPG LLP, affiliated with the family of Rashit Sarsenov, a Forbes Kazakhstan-listed oligarch who, from 1997 to 2009, chaired the Board of Directors of Mangistaumunaigas JSC and controlled the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant. In 2009, these assets were sold to KazMunayGas.
In September 2024, partners of the North Caspian Project and QazaqGaz, with the participation of the Ministry of Energy and PSA LLP, signed a purchase and sale agreement under which the first supplies of Kashagan LPG are planned for the end of 2025, with a ramp-up to maximum design capacity of 700,000 tons per year by 2027 after completion of infrastructure works.
June 10, William Lacobie officially assumed the position of General Director of Tengizchevroil LLP. He replaced Kevin Lyon, who had held the post since 2021 and who has been appointed to a new leadership role at Chevron’s headquarters.
During his 31-year career, William Lacobie held various engineering, technical, and managerial positions in Chevron’s business units in the United States, Angola, and Indonesia. Since 2021, he has served as Managing Director of Chevron’s strategic business unit in Southern Africa.
June 15, at the age of 78, after a long illness, noted Kazakhstani oilman and former head of Ozenmunaigas, Zhaksylyk Zhangaziyev, passed away. He was an Honored Worker of the oil and gas industry and an honorary citizen of Zhanaozen and of Mangistau Region.
June 16, a framework cooperation agreement was signed between QazaqGaz and CNPC-Aktobemunaigas for a subsoil use project at the Severnoye-1 block in the Aktobe Region.
The agreement will serve as a basis for joint exploration at the block, with the partner providing 100% carry financing. The Severnoye-1 block is considered one of the promising sites for gas reserves exploration in Kazakhstan.
June 16, in Astana at the Power Central Asia + China Forum, the following documents were signed:
- Modernization of the Shymkent refinery: a framework agreement between the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, KazMunayGas, and CNPC on expanding the plant’s capacity to 12 mln tons per year. This will enable Kazakhstan to fully meet the domestic demand for oil products and initiate exports.
- Production of marketable gas: an agreement between Urikhtau Operating LLP (a KazMunayGas subsidiary) and CNPC-Aktobemunaigaz on deepening strategic cooperation under the Urikhtau project. The agreement provides for processing of raw gas from the Urikhtau field at the Zhanazhol gas processing plant, with a preliminary investment amount of $138 mln.
- Production of urea: a framework agreement between the Ministry of Energy, KazMunayGas, CNPC, and the Akimat of Aktobe Region on implementing a urea production project in the Aktobe Region that is important for Kazakhstan’s agrisector and gas chemistry. Gas from the Urikhtau field will be used as feedstock.
June 16, QazaqGaz and Shandong Energy Group signed a strategic partnership agreement in coal chemistry providing for the creation in Karaganda Region of a plant to produce 2 bln m3 of gas per year from coal of the Karaganda Coal Basin. The project is expected to be financed in stages, with a total investment of up to $2 bln.
Shandong Energy Group Co. (SEG) has many years of experience in China’s coal and coal-chemical industry. The company has become a leader in the PRC in the production of urea, methanol, and other coal-based chemical products. SEG has 608 subsidiaries located in provinces of the PRC and in 17 countries.