Kazakhstan Presses on With $4 Billion Sulfur Fine on Majors
(Bloomberg) -Azakistan’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, the country’s main branches operating in the country, for a fine of billions of dollars for sulfur pollution, 40 days to pay a fine, said a coup to producers claiming victory weeks ago.
At the beginning of August, NCOC and the country’s second largest largest Kashagan oil field, partners, Central Asian Court of Appeal Court of 2,356 trillion Tenge-Cari exchange rates of $ 4.4 billion, he said they earned a fine.
On Monday, however, the nation’s environmental agency, the initiative partners’ fines stopped and according to people who have information on the subject, now 10 days to object to it, he said. The plan is to appeal, but if they do not, they would be required to pay within 30 days, they asked not to be defined to discuss the characteristics of the case.
NCOC, said in a statement, a part of the Ministry of Environmental Protection AYRAU Regional Ecology Department of the operator by the “unprecedented” fine of the decision “deeply troubled”, he said.
The decision said that he opposed the last court decisions that emphasize serious flaws in the process of regional ecological authority and violate both national and international law as well as violating the production sharing agreement with the state.
It is unclear which authority has fined the authority, but the Ministry of Environmental Protection said that on August 15, the ATYRAU department has discussed the deficiencies of “procedures” previously determined by the court.
Two weeks ago, Kasasagan partners said that the decision of a Court of Appeal, which was seen to overthrow the fine in the case, confirmed the accuracy of NCOC’s Sulfur management operations and compliance with the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan and compatible with applicable standards and best practices ”.
The $ 55 billion in Kashagan development in the Caspian Sea has already been shaken with delays during the construction phase and cost excesses.
Kazakh officials suppress higher income than the areas of the nation and filed a lawsuit for international arbitration for more than $ 160 billion damage. Most of them reflect the lost income, but also contain damages related to environmental violations and agreements that Kazakhstan is stained with corruption.
NCOC belongs to the best oil and gas company in the world, including the world’s best oil sections, including SPA, Shell Plc, EXXON Mobile Corp and Totalenenerjies SE.
The questions of Hi, Shell, Exxon and Totalenerjies referred to NCOC.
Last year, Venture Partners proposed an additional investment in social projects of 110 million dollars in the next two years;
At that time, the initiative proposed to make additional payment for the supply of liquefied oil gas to the government and to create a multimily -dollar social development fund.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection did not respond to repeated comments requests and the Ministry of Energy of the Kazakhstan did not immediately comment.
-Help Mitchell Ferman, Kevin Crowley and Chiara Albanese.
(Updates with the width response)
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