Kazakh onshore oil production hit by floods, major fields unaffected: reports

Flooding in western Kazakhstan has led to a halt in onshore oil production in two provinces, with a particular impact on Chinese-Kazakh joint venture CNPC-Aktobemunaigas, according to press reports citing the energy ministry April 18.

The vast majority of the shutdowns were in the northwestern Aktobe province, with 489 wells shut, according to news website Nur.Kz. The ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Production from the main fields that feed Kazakhstan's flagship crude grade CPC Blend was not thought to be affected.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said earlier that it was working to prevent floods impacting one of its pumping stations in the Atyrau region.

Platts assessed CPC Blend at a $2.1/b discount to the Dated Brent strip on April 17, showed data from S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Floods have been battering the west of the country for over a week, causing mass evacuations of some towns and villages, with the oil and gas sector deployed to help avert the civil emergency. Flooding is an annual occurrence, stemming in part from the melting of snow in the Volga and Urals river basins.