Kazakhstan's vast Kashagan oilfield, where production sharply declined following an emergency gas release last month, will resume output at usual levels "in October at best", Kazakh Energy Minister Bulat Akchulakov told Reuters on Friday.
Production at Kashagan, one of the world's largest oil fields, sharply declined on Aug. 3 due to a gas release. Kashagan had planned to boost output to 500,000 bpd after upgrades.
Daily oil production on Kashagan stayed close to 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) on Aug. 29-30, some four times below normal output levels of the field, two other sources said, citing production data.
Akchulakov said future production volumes and time frames for the field will be outlined on Sept. 21-22, while the country plans to stick to its oil production plans for 2022 of 85.5 million tonnes.
Separately, he said that all the three mooring points at the Black Sea's terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium will resume operations before Oct. 10-15.
The Kashagan consortium includes Eni, ExxonMobil, CNPC, Shell, TotalEnergies, Inpex and Kazakh state energy firm KazMunayGaz.
(Reuters - Reporting by Tamara Vaal; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
