Chinese CNPC is going to increase oil production in Kazakhstan to 3.6 million tons in 2000

/IRBIS, Jan.14, 00/ - According to REUTERS, which cites a source from the China industrial circles, Chinese national petroleum corporation (CNPC) is going to increase oil production at the Kazakhstan deposits to 3.6 million tons (74,000 barrels per day) in 2000. CNPC owns 60.8% of the shares of Aktobemunajgaz, which has extracted 2.4 million tons of oil in 1999. In 2000CNPC plans to drill 34 holes and to conduct a marketing research of production sales in the European countries. According to the source, the trader firms as Glencore, Vitol and Trafigura have shown the interest in the such researches realization. About of 800,000 tons of oil from CNPC production will be processed at the Chinese factories located near to the Kazakhstan border, other oil will be directed on the international markets. Aktobemunajgaz is the second in term of production CNPC foreign enterprise after an enterprise in Sudan, where CNPC owns 40% in joint venture developing the Union deposit. Besides CNPC Malaysian state company Petronas, Canadian Talisman Energy Inc, and Sudanian state company Sudan Petroleum participate in the project. The production of joint venture makes about 8.4 million tons of oil. Earlier CNPC representative has told REUTERS that production of the company in the foreign projects has increased in 1999 to 3,4 million tons from 1.89 million tons in 1998. The CNPC production in China in a 1999 is expected to be 107 million tons.