TECHNICAL CHALLENGES

Home > About Kashagan > Technical Challenges

The Kashagan reservoir is located 4,200 meters below the seabed and is highly pressured (770 bar of initial pressure). The crude oil that it contains has high ‘sour gas’ content. Low salinity, due to the in-flow of fresh water from the Volga River, combined with shallow waters and winter temperatures below minus 30 degrees mean that the northern part of the Caspian Sea freezes for nearly five months of the year. Ice drifts and ice scouring place heavy constraints on construction activities. The northern part of the Caspian Sea is a very sensitive environmental area with abundant and diverse fauna and flora, including a number of endemic species. We are working hard to prevent and minimize any impacts on the environment that our operations may have. The northern part of the Caspian Sea is a difficult location to supply essential project equipment. Logistical challenges are amplified by limited access to waterways, such as the Volga Don Canal and Baltic Sea-Volga waterways, which are only navigable for around six months of the year due to thick winter ice.