13/03/2026 by Jay Hatton
UK energy giant Shell recently signed a deal for oil and gas exploration rights in western Kazakhstan’s Zhanaturmys block.
The completed agreement includes signatures of Yerlan Akbarov, Deputy Energy Minister for the Kazakhstan government, and Suzanne Coogan, Country Chair and Senior Vice President of Shell Kazakhstan.
The document covers seismic exploration, technical assessment and data collection to uncover the potential oil and gas resources present.
The Zhanaturmys block is based in a basin in Kazakhstan described as the country’s most promising location for oil and gas. According to Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry, it could potentially hold significant room for expansion of exploration projects in the Central Asian nation.
Speaking for Shell, Coogan said that the deal reaffirms the oil and gas major’s continuing commitment to cooperating with Kazakhstan. Adjacent to the recent agreement, Shell is also involved in developing the Kashagan oilfield through the North Caspian Project alongside Kazakhstan’s state-funded oil business, KazMunayGas.
Beyond pursuing global oil and gas exploration projects, Shell also provides high-quality products and services for the lubrication industry. It recently took the title of the world’s leading lubricant manufacturer due to its cutting-edge solutions that include spindle oil, slideway oil, vacuum pump fluid, mould release oil and wire rope lubricant, to name but a few.
The new agreement to explore Zhanaturmys will now run from 2026 to 2032 to manage the technical complexity and scope of the project, as the large block is 1,377 square kilometres in size.
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