According to information provided by Bloomberg, the consortium's management has been aware of the accumulation of excess sulfur at the Bolashak facility since at least 2016. The issue was discussed in the following years, but no measures were taken to address it.
In 2020, the project operator proposed to start processing and selling sulfur to reduce storage volumes and avoid potential sanctions; however, this required additional investments in a project whose budget had already exceeded $55 billion.
Bloomberg also notes that project participants compared the costs of processing and exporting sulfur with the risks associated with potential fines and concluded that environmental measures would negatively impact their profitability.
By 2022, the accumulated sulfur reserves at the Kashagan field reached 1.75 million tons. After conducting an environmental audit, the authorities of Kazakhstan presented the consortium with multi-billion dollar claims, with the fine estimated at $5 billion.
The Telegram channel Protenge.kz, commenting on the information from Bloomberg, emphasizes the seriousness of the ecological threat to the Caspian Sea. Sulfur extracted from oil is a toxic substance, and its long-term storage in large volumes can pose a danger to the environment.
Protenge.kz also highlights the role of the national company KazMunayGas, which is involved in this project.
Bloomberg's materials indicate that in 2020, KMG formulated its position on proposals for sulfur processing, while other participants were already discussing possible steps.
The community raises important questions: Were oil companies required to reduce sulfur storage volumes and export it from the field? If so, by how much have the reserves already been reduced? If not, why have measures regarding environmental safety still not been implemented?
The situation with sulfur at Kashagan goes far beyond a corporate conflict and raises doubts about compliance with environmental standards in Kazakhstan, as well as the safety of the Caspian region.
