Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  48 / 88 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 48 / 88 Next Page
Page Background

Environment and Security

48

The Uzen oilfield was discovered in 1959 and

development began in 1964. The oilfield is

35 km long from east to west and 8 km wide

from north to south. It is the largest in size in

the eastern Caspian region. In 1975 produc-

tion culminated at 330 000 barrels of oil a day.

Since 1990 there has been a sharp decline in

overall output (down to 50–60 000 barrels a

day in the mid-1990s) mostly due to obsolete

technology and the degraded state of pro-

duction facilities. In 2005, after the introduc-

tion of improved technology and increased

water-pumping to maintain pressure, produc-

tion rose to 132 000 barrels a day. In all 4 500

wells are now operating on the field. By 2006

about 300 million tonnes of oil had been ex-

tracted at Uzen since the start of operations.

Increasing oil production gave rise to severe

environmental problems. An aerial survey

conducted in 1989 showed that an estimated

10 000 ha of land in Uzen were polluted by oil

spills; of these 3 600 ha were considered se-

verely polluted. Spillage around the wellheads

or pipeline failures had contaminated about

3 million tonnes of soil. Two large oil-waste pits

originated as emergency oil retention ponds in

the early 1970s. Overall almost no attention has

been paid to protecting the environment from

oil exploitation over the last 30 years. As a result

nearly 30 000 ha of land have been damaged

by mechanical compaction, spills and erosion.

According to the local authorities and EBRD,

the cost of improving environmental protec-

tion, mitigating damage and rehabilitating land

at Uzen is estimated at US$100 million.

The town of Jana Uzen (70 000 people) and

the oil-extracting enterprise Uzen use a lot

of water. The bulk of water is supplied by a

water pipeline from the Volga river and from

the Caspian Sea. However a smaller part of

the water is pumped from nearby natural

groundwater reserves. Since 1971 intense

exploitation of the Tyu Suu fresh groundwa-

ter lenses has lowered the water table, af-

fecting vegetation and creating large sand

dunes. These moved towards the village of

Senek, Mangystau Province’s largest farm,

partly burying the north-western edge of the

village. Scientists have warned that similar

expansion of deserts near the Ushtagan

Oil extraction and water use in Uzen, Kazakhstan

with fears the local air quality may deterio-

rate, which in turn would have a negative

effect on public health

51

.

An additional source of concern is the dis-

mantling and disposal of shipwrecks in Bau-

tino Bay, where the remains of more than 50

sunken and stranded vessels are located.

Though many of the ships have already been

brokenupand removed, the remainingwrecks

not only pose a danger to passing boats but

may also contribute to sea pollution.

Realizing the necessity to protect the eco-

system of the Caspian Sea and its biodi-

versity while developing the oilfields in the

region, the governments and local authori-

ties of both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan

have prioritized issues related to ecology

and safety. In particular Kazakhstan has

banned gas flaring (natural gas combustion)

and dumping of waste into the sea. In both

countries environmental standards and ac-

cident-prevention rules have been brought

in line with international standards. Addi-

tionally several measures designed to im-

prove the response in the event of oil spills

have been adopted, including the creation

of a maritime emergency unit. National Ac-

tion Plans for Oil Spillage Prevention and

Response have been developed for the

sea and inland waters. Finally, within the

Framework Convention on the Protection

of the Marine Environment of the Caspian

Sea (the Tehran Convention) several proto-

cols in priority areas have been drafted and

submitted to the littoral states for review

and ratification

52

.