BEFORE THE OPENING OF "ATYRAU OIL&GAS 2023", WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE AN INTERVIEW WITH NOVUS BOLASHAK LLP, THE EXHIBITION PARTNER, REPRESENTED BY ITS OPERATIONS DIRECTOR PETER LYON ABSALOM.

1) Your company takes part in the North Caspian Regional Oil and Gas Exhibition for the first time. Please share your opinion, do you believe that organization of such highly specialized expo-events helps the development of the industry?

Let me start by thanking the entire team at ITECA for arranging this 20th Anniversary KIOGE Exhibition and Conference here in Atyrau. Whilst this is my Company’s first KIOGE here in Atyrau, I can share that I was an active exhibitor who attended the first five or six KIOGE’s that were in held in Almaty in the early 1990’s, and last year’s 28th Anniversary “come back” post Covid event which was held in late September. My goodness, how that 20 years plus has flown by! In my experience, each and every KIOGE that I have attended has been hugely informative, and reflective of all the key owners, EPC’s and specialist service organizations exhibiting their wares, trying to understand the opportunities, and how best to become a “player” in the hugely exciting ROK Oil & Gas Sector.

2) What are the main activities of your company?

The Novus Bolashak Joint Venture was established in 2016. It is a 100% Kazakh Company. It comprises Novus Technical Services Kazakhstan and Bolashak Atyrau. The company provides specialist solutions to the oil and gas industry in Kazakhstan. It combines Bolashak’s more than 22 years’ experience as the market leader in the provision of manpower services (including all recruitment, training, and mobilization) for Kazakhstani Companies, with the international background and technical strengths of Novus, in order to deliver safe and efficient Systems Completion & Commissioning, Start Up, and Operations and Maintenance Services across multiple business sectors. Today, Novus Bolashak is an active Business Partner on the Tengizchevroil 3GP Project. Novus Bolashak has more than 4,500 persons employed on site at Tengiz, supported by 150 persons employed in the Atyrau Office. As at today, the Company has completed 10 million manhours without a lost time incident.

3) Currently your company is delivering the 3GP Systems Completion and Commissioning Scope on the Future Growth Project in Tengiz. What forecast can you give on this Oil & Gas project?

When I first came to Kazakhstan in 1992, Tengizchevroil had not yet been established. During the past 31 years, I have witnessed firsthand the massive progress and development that has taken place at Tengiz. Today, I am involved on the FGP-WPMP Program. I am working on 3GP, the largest Systems Completion & Commissioning scope of work anywhere in the world. When this latest phase goes into production, the Tengiz Project will have the ability to produce nearly 1 million barrels of oil a day. That is a mega, even giga field, world class, whichever way you wish to interpret the numbers. Sustainability is now key. The preservation of the reservoir pressure, and the maintenance of the plant and facilities are absolutely critical to the ongoing success of this asset.

4) Does your company offer support to local community?

Novus Bolashak is here in Kazakhstan for the long haul. The JV takes its Corporate Social Responsibilities very seriously indeed. In recent years, the JV has contributed to some outstanding social programmes both in Atyrau, and in Kulsary, including the sponsorship of orphanages, the sponsorship of students through university etc. My question is to do ROK’s standing with Transparency International (note: International anti-corruption organization, headquarter in Berlin) and what measures the Government is taking to improve its image across the world to ensure that all funds donated to such charities are distributed in the correct manner, to ensure that foreign companies have confidence in the Administrations, at both Federal and Local Levels, to continue to invest in this magnificent country?