KMG eyes Karachaganak stake

    KazMunaiGas wants to acquire a stake in Karachaganak, a gas condensate project led by BG and Eni KazMunaiGas head Kairgeldy Kabyldin said on Thursday.
    Deals
    Kazakhstan and Karachaganak operators have been in talks since last year after the companies accused the government of levying extra duties on them. Karachaganak is Kazakhstan's main gas producer and holds large gas condensate reserves.
    "Certainly, we are interested in such a project," Kabyldin told reporters. "It is a good project to get a stake in today."
    He said KazMunaiGas was not involved in talks with the Karachaganak group which includes, along with BG and Eni, Russia's LUKoil and US firm Chevon.
    The Central Asian state's government has sought to strengthen its role in the key energy sector in the last few years, acquiring stakes in large ventures controlled by foreigners, sometimes after accusing them of breaching contracts.
    Karachaganak is the only major domestic project in which the government does not have a stake, according to Reuters.