Kazakh environmental authorities have found violations of waste storage rules at the Tengiz field, operated by Tengizchevroil (TCO). This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to Bloomberg, an unscheduled inspection at the field was conducted by the Ecology Department of Atyrau Region in July 2026.
Following the inspection, the department established that waste accumulation was allowed at the site without an environmental permit defining permissible accumulation limits.
TCO disagreed with the environmental agency's conclusions and initiated a pre-trial appeal procedure. While the complaint is being reviewed, bringing the company to administrative responsibility has been suspended.
Tengizchevroil stated that it operates in accordance with the requirements and permits issued by authorized state bodies.
Thus, at this point, it is about a violation identified by the environmental agency, which the company is contesting. A final decision on the claims has not yet been made.
This is not the first environmental dispute involving the Tengiz operator this year. In April 2026, Tengizchevroil was fined 53.7 million tenge for excessive pollutant emissions.
Environmental claims by Kazakh authorities have also been made against the operator of another major oil and gas project in the country – Kashagan. In 2023, Kazakhstan demanded about $5 billion from North Caspian Operating Company due to excessive sulfur storage. The consortium is contesting these claims.
Tengizchevroil is engaged in the development of the Tengiz field in Atyrau Region – one of the largest oil fields in Kazakhstan.
The largest shareholder of TCO is American Chevron with a 50% stake. Another 25% belongs to ExxonMobil, 20% to the national company KazMunayGas, and 5% to Russian Lukoil.
The agreement for the Tengiz project is valid until 2033. According to Bloomberg, project participants are negotiating with Kazakhstan on the terms of further development of the field after the current agreement expires.