Kashagan Might Start Production By 2014 - Nine Years Behind Original Schedule - Reuters

[hatrack]

ASTANA (Reuters) - Commercial production at Kazakhstan's giant Kashagan oil field is expected to start later than the agreed 2013 launch date, a Kazakh oil industry official said on Thursday. Tumir Kulibayev, head of the influential KazEnergy association whose members include major Kazakh oil companies including state-owned KazMunaiGas, said the delay would be technical and would not mean a breach of the contract.

"They are talking about October 2013, but it would be impossible to launch (the production) during the winter so it will be 2014," Kulibayev told an energy conference. In June, Kazakhstan and the group of oil majors developing the field agreed to hold off the start of production until 2013 after a year of tension over the world's biggest oil discovery in 30 years.

EDIT

The consortium comprises Eni, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Exxon Mobil Corp, Total, ConocoPhillips, KazMunaiGas and Japan's Inpex Holdings Inc. Kulibayevalso said Kashagan would produce 450,000 barrels per day in 2014.

The Caspian oil field, discovered in 2000, was initially scheduled to start commercial production in 2005. But the consortium and the government agreed to move the launch to 2008 and then 2010 due to technical difficulties.

EDIT

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Oil/idUSL412916020080904

[Javaman]

1. here is a prime example of the "drilling for more" argument and how stupid it is...

So here you have an area that has been explored, has had test wells drilled, yet won't produce any oil of a sizable amount for another 6 years!!

This area is on land, that's important to remember.

Now let's think about off shore drilling. No exploration yet, no test wells, drilling rigs and testing rigs are in very very very short supply right now (everyone in the world is also looking for more oil) Then add to that that one has to not only drill into seabed, they have to have enough drilling equipment to drop down into area's that are very deep water before they even hit the sediment.
How long will all that take? In this case, it's been estimated at the least amount of time: 10 years. That's the low end.

Now let's think about ANWAR. all those factors above are still there PLUS freezing temps. Exploration and test wells can only be done during the warmer months. This drastically shortens the time by which work can be done. best case scenario: 15 years.

by the time either one of these comes on line, if ever, this country will be so far down the rabbit hole energy-wise, the amount these area's produce in total won't amount to a hill of beans.

That's why this election is so important. if mcinsane gets in, our countries hopes for cutting back on oil use, will vanish. any and all alternative energy that we desperately need will go to the back burner and only be brought up much to late.

mcinsane would set us on a course of pure disaster. more wars for oil, more pollution, more intense global warming at an accelerated rate.