AKSAI, Western Kazakhstan Oblast, 29 April 2004 – A delegation comprised of nine representatives from Agip KCO visited Karachaganak from 26 to 28 April to benefit from the experience of Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V.’s (KPO) Kazakh content and vendor development programme.

The Agip KCO delegation headed by RoK Business Development Director Kenzhebek Ibrashev met with KPO procurement and contracts and vendor development and qualification teams who briefed them on how KPO has encouraged a better participation of the Kazakh companies in the Karachaganak project through training, technical and financial assistance, quality management and co-operation agreements.

KPO Vendor Development and Qualification Manager Howard Burrows said: “During the main phase of the Karachaganak field development the Kazakh Content of contracts concluded totalled $1.3 billion with more than 500 Kazakh companies providing goods and services to the project and over 100 Kazakh companies attending country-wide commercial awareness seminars organised by KPO”.

During the visit the Agip KCO guests have also toured the field, met representatives of KPO production & maintenance, engineering & development and infrastructure & services departments and conducted working meetings with a number of KPO contractors including as CCC/Saipem, SaiPar, Baker Hughes and AksaiGasService.