In the shallow waters on the north bank of the Caspian Sea, drilling rigs never stop all year round. About 80 kilometers north of Atyrau city, the seawater is only 3 to 4 meters deep, but underground lies Kazakhstan's toughest trump card - the Kashgar glycerol field. The oil reservoir is buried more than 4200 meters below the seabed, with estimated recoverable oil reserves of about 9 billion to 13 billion tons, making it one of the largest oil fields discovered in the world in recent decades. In the past, the high sulfur associated petroleum gas produced during oil field extraction was like a hot potato: if not treated properly, it would pollute the sky, and if not treated properly, it would corrode equipment. Now, this problem is being jointly solved by a Chinese company and a Kazakh state-owned enterprise.

FEED Closing to EPC

Recently, Zamauf, Chairman of Kazakhstan National Natural Gas Corporation, led a delegation to visit China and sat at the same table as Mo Dingge, Chairman of CNCEC. The two of them were not talking about formalities, but about how the Kashagan large-scale natural gas processing plant moved from the drawings to the construction site.

There are three things on the conference table: the current progress of the project, the completion of the front-end engineering design, and the preparation list for the transition to the engineering procurement and construction phase. Front end engineering design is like a complete set of construction drawings before building a building, and closure means that risk assessment, process routes, and equipment selection are basically finalized; The next step is the procurement, piling, and installation of real gold and silver. Both parties have agreed to synchronize and adjust the work progress, continuously coordinate and improve the contract documents, and smoothly move the project into the next stage.

2.5 billion cubic meters purification challenge

This proposed natural gas processing plant has an annual processing capacity of 2.5 billion cubic meters, with the core task of using international advanced technology to process and purify high sulfur associated petroleum gas. Acidic gases used to be forced to be released or burned back, which was both wasteful and environmentally stressful; Once the factory runs through, the dirty gas will turn into commercial gas, and Kazakhstan's production of commercial natural gas will directly increase.

According to the Harbin side, the project can not only solve the problem of acid gas utilization, but also stabilize the domestic market supply and enhance export potential. Looking at it on a larger plate, Kazakhstan is simultaneously advancing projects such as the double line of the Beneu Bozoi Shymkent pipeline and the modernization of the Central Asia Central pipeline; Kashagan is not a single project, but a hard bone in the puzzle of Kazakhstan's natural gas sovereignty.

Re binding of China Kazakhstan Energy

CNCEC is not a temporary entry. Public information shows that CNCEC's subsidiaries have been deeply involved in the natural gas processing project in Kazakhstan. This time, they continue to tackle the tough nut of Kashag with QazaqGaz, which means that China Kazakhstan energy cooperation has shifted from selling equipment and carrying out construction to process packages, engineering general contracting, and long-term operational collaboration.

For Kazakhstan, keeping resources at home and turning gas into money is energy security; For CNCEC, making the high sulfur project in Beilihai a model is a hard sign for Chinese enterprises to go global. The consensus between the two companies when they left the venue was simple: to refine the contract and align the schedule, so that the gas deep in this shallow sea oil field could light up Kazakhstan's stoves and factories as soon as possible.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

The wind of the Caspian Sea is still blowing, and Kashagan's derrick is still spinning. On the day when the factory is built, not only oil and gas will emerge from 4200 meters underground, but also a stronger energy link between China and Kazakhstan.Editor/Yang Meiling