Shell shelves Kazakhstan oil projects due to soaring costs
Royal Dutch Shell abandoned two projects off Kazakhstan after stubbornly high costs made them uneconomic.
Shell has exited the Khazar field, while North Caspian Operating — a joint venture including Shell — has quit the KalamkasSea project, according to TOO
PSA, an entity run by the Kazakh energy ministry.
The retreat from the fields — both in the Kashagan area — reflects an industry-wide push to cut break-even costs as mega-projects give way to smaller endeavours with quicker returns.
“Our partners’ decision is related to low profitability of these projects amid high capital expenditures,” TOO PSA said. Shell declined to comment.
The fields in the Caspian Sea had seemed like an obvious fit for Shell, which is among companies already pumping oil from the giant Kashagan complex.
But that project proved challenging to get off the ground, costing Shell and its partners more than $50bn as they struggled against extremes of hot and cold, as well as toxic hydrogensulphide gas.
Kazakhstan may seek new investors to develop the Kalamkas-Sea site, the energy ministry said. If the remaining partners in the Khazar field also decide to exit, Kazakhstan may seek other investors there too.
Khazar is part of the Zhemchuzhiny offshore development, where state-owned KazMunayGas
National and Oman Oil work with Shell. The AngloDutch oil major has already invested $900m in the field, according to the ministry.
No-one at Oman Oil could be reached for comment.
North Caspian Operating runs both the Kashagan and Kalamkas-Sea projects. Other partners in NCOC include Italy’s Eni, KazMunayGas, ExxonMobil,
Total and China National Petroleum. The companies have worked hard to reduce costs at Kalamkas-Sea, but the economics remain marginal, people familiar with the matter said.
The Kazakhstan government has a history of disputes with foreign investors over revenue, taxes and cost-sharing at the country’s energy projects.