Explosion rocked Kazakhstan’s largest oil field after promising supplies to Europe

NURSULTAN, KOMPAS.com – An explosion erupts in the largest oil field Kazakhstan The sea on Wednesday (6/7/2022), just days after the country’s president assured the European Union (EU) that it would increase its oil shipments to the “Blue Continent”.

At least two workers were killed and three injured in the blast, according to local reports Daily Mail.

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Kazakh police opened a criminal investigation into the explosion at a facility operated by the country’s leading oil company Tengizchevroilin which Chevron holds a 50 percent stake.

The cause of this mysterious explosion is being investigated, but preliminary information suggests that the fireball occurred during a hydro test of the pipeline with atmospheric gases.

Court Russia yesterday also ordered the ‘temporary closure’ of the Novorossiysk oil terminal, the main link in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) that carries Kazakhstan’s oil to the Black Sea and to the West.

The ruling was claimed to have been made for environmental reasons and to allow regulators to inspect the pipeline.

The Russian court ruling comes just a day after Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev vowed Monday to send more oil to the EU ahead of winter.

????In #Kazakhstanan explosion occurred at the country’s largest #oil and #gas field # Sea

????after #Tokayev‘s promise to increase supplies to #Europe

????#Russia stoped transit of oil from Kazakhstan, 3 largest non-#OPEC oil supplier to EU after Russia & Norway #Awaiting pic.twitter.com/mlk9vTY0SB

— Saida Zahidova (@Saida_Zahidova) July 6, 2022

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On Wednesday (6/7/2022), the CPC admitted it was ‘forced to carry out the court’s ruling’ on the 30-day shutdown, but plans to appeal.

Any major disruption to the CPC would add to pressure on global oil markets, which have faced one of the worst supply crises since the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s.

Kazakhstan supplies 67 million tonnes of oil via Russia to Europe every year, but Tokayev on Monday (4/7/2022) told EU council president Charles Michel that his country would increase supplies this year in light of the Russian conflict. Ukraine.

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