Azernews.Az

Kazakhstan considers a request of Kashagan oil project's partners to increase the budget for its first phase, Bloomberg reported with the reference to source aware of the matter.

The source said that Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and other partners of the project made a request to increase the Kashagan's first phase cost by 20 percent to $46 billion.

The current estimated cost of the project's first phase hits $38.6 billion.

Kashagan is Kazakhstan's super-giant oil and gas field, located in the north of the Caspian Sea. Geological reserves at Kashagan are estimated at 4.8 billion tons of oil according to the Kazakh geologists.

The largest participants of the Kashagan project are currently the companies Eni, KMG Kashagan B.V., Total, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell. Other participants are ConocoPhillips and Inpex.

About 50 million tons of oil a year will be extracted in the first stage of experimental-industrial field development.

The expected oil reserves of the Kashagan field are no less than 10 billion tons and gas reserves - more than one trillion cubic meters.

According to the source, the international oil companies, which include Eni SpA (ENI) and Total SA (FP), will cover the extra cost themselves. Kazakhstan's state energy company, which also has a stake in project, will reimburse them with barrels of oil for its share once output starts, he said.