28
Тамыз 2008
МҰНАЙШЫ
наурыз достарды жинайды
i
nterview with a well-known scientist
with many years’ oil and gas sector
experience,
academic,
doctor
of
chemical science, Nadir Nadirov.
Nadir Karimovich, as you know, a few
years ago the president mentioned the need
to train young local specialists in foreign
companies. As you work in the oil sector do
you think that this is the case?
I think that PetroKazakhstan is doing well
at training specialists from the Kyzylorda
Oblast. A couple of years ago we visited
the Beijing oil and gas university and were
pleased to see the number of Kazakhstan
students there. It’s no secret that the majority
of youngsters studying abroad are the
children of Kazakhstan “fat cats” and civil
servants. However, PetroKazakhstan, after
announcing a special contest, began selecting
the most talented children. Nearly all of them
come from simple families. After finishing
university young Kazakhstan specialists
then start work for PetroKazakhstan, with
an added advantage that they know Chinese.
I’d like to point out that this is an important
spring board that could serve as an example
for other foreign and local companies. Over
the last two years PetroKazakhstan has
trained, retrained and hired nearly 3,000
specialists, and it goes without saying that
these activities will reap their reward in
years to come.
There was a time when the company
was facing a scandal due to its practice of
flaring at the Kumkol oilfield. You offered a
resolution to this issue and provided advice.
Did your project ever materialise?
At the time when the locals were calling
Kumkol “the valley of burning flares”, the
Kyzylorda Oblast akim was Mr Nurgisayev.
The burning gas was destroying the oblast’s
ecology. Mr Nurgisayev turned to us scientists
for advice. When I suggested recycling the gas
he noted that Hurricane had been promising
to build a power plant in Baikonur and
send the gas there. However, he was unable
to say when this would happen and then
mentioned that he did not have much to with
the resolution of the issue. Meanwhile the
gas continued to burn, so much so that the
Kyzylorda population began to experience
gas shortages. One of the proposals made
was to build a mini-plant at Kumkol itself to
separate the gas, after which gas would be
sent to the town and sold in tanks in liquid
form. Mr Nurgisayev was able to initiative the
project only after he had been able to convince
the local population that it would work, and
that this was the only way the associated gas
could be used. The programme has been in
operation since 2004.
The Chinese and Kazakhstan companies
began implementing the South Turgai basin
“flare” program in stages. As far as I know
PetroKazakhstan has invested over $150 mln in
the project, and thanks to it more than 100 flares
were extinguished this spring. This is currently
the largest such project in Kazakhstan. I hope
that PetroKazakhstan and other oil companies
do not rest on their laurels and continue to pay
attention to the environment. Oil and gas do not
only benefit the development of mankind, but
also have a negative impact, damaging the life-
giving ecology. A healthy ecology is irreplaceable.
But it doesn’t look like there are any
fewer gas flares burning at Kumkol...
I know. The flares are still burning. But there
really are far less of them now. Let me explain
why they haven’t all been extinguished yet.
Associated gas extracted together with oil
contains very complex chemical compounds
such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane,
ethane, propane, iso-butane, as well as other
fractions. At the same time, Kumkol oil is
significantly purer than oil from the Atyrau
region as it does not contain sulphur dioxide
or mercaptans. PetroKazakhstan is currently
running a reinjection project at the Kumkol
deposit to conserve gas. This will help not only
with reinjecting gas into the strata, but also to
store it for a long time, making it available for
extraction when necessary. Meanwhile this will
help develop oil production at the deposit. The
planning stage involved studying a lot of data,
and as a result, stations were commissioned at
Kumkol at the end of last year, with stations at
Aryskum and Kyzylkiya commissioned at the
start of 2008. Natural gas can now be delivered
to a gas compressor station, separated from
liquid and dispatched for further compression
at two combined compressors. And only after
passing a blast compressor is gas transferred
to well pipes and returned to the deposit
well gas cap. We understand that major
investment and time is needed to ensure
a full gas recycling programme, but as far
as I am aware PetroKazakhstan intends to
introduce a second project stage in the near
future, according to which major pipelines
will combine all deposits and gas for storage
into a single network. Gas use projects are
being continued at the Kumkol and Maibulak
deposits.
I am pleased that large companies like
PetroKazakhstan have a clear understanding
that by combing the past and the future
they are able to find a start today. This is
very important when you recognise that
the overriding need to do something to
help mankind, without putting it off until
tomorrow, understanding that tomorrow
will be built on today’s results, companies
are displaying concern for the Kyzylorda
Oblast here and now!
●
The interview was held by
Alma Mukhamedzhanova
Egemen Kazakhstan, #238 (25209),
August 6, 2008.
The article has been abridged.
the past and future come together today
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