Kazakhstan has restored oil production after an accident at the Tengiz oil field briefly disrupted output last week, while also signalling its readiness to increase crude shipments through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.
Oil production recovered to around 290,000 tonnes per day following the disruption, Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov said on Monday.
The accident at Tengiz caused output to fall to 39,000 tonnes on 28 May before production was restored on 31 May. Tengizchevroil, the field's operator, described the incident as a minor operational disruption at one of its production facilities and did not disclose further details.
Although the losses caused by the disruption cannot be fully recovered, Akkenzhenov said the incident did not prevent Kazakhstan from meeting its oil production target for May.
That was reflected in the country's overall production figures. According to an industry source, Kazakhstan's output of crude oil and gas condensate averaged 2.1 million barrels per day in May, compared with 2.16 million barrels per day in April.
Alongside the recovery in production, Kazakhstan is considering alternative routes for exporting its crude. Akkenzhenov said the country was evaluating all available export options and remained ready to increase shipments through the BTC pipeline.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Baku Energy Forum, the minister said Kazakhstan could raise supplies through the route within a short period. An agreement between the parties currently provides for shipments of 1.5 million tonnes of Kazakh oil per year, while the existing protocol allows volumes of up to 2.2 million tonnes.
Any increase, however, would depend on the economic viability of transportation. Akkenzhenov said negotiations between Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR and Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company KazMunayGas on tariff reductions would be an important factor in expanding shipments.
The minister also said Kazakhstan remained ready to resume oil supplies to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline after shipments were suspended in May for technical reasons.
According to Akkenzhenov, Kazakhstan is awaiting the restoration of the route's operational capability by its partners before exports can resume.
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