Kazakh environmental authorities have found violations of waste storage rules at the Tengiz oil field, operated by Tengizchevroil (TCO). The company disagrees with the inspection results and has initiated a pre-trial appeal procedure, according to infohub.kz.
As reported by Bloomberg, an unscheduled inspection at the field was conducted by the Department of Ecology for Atyrau Region in July 2026. The inspection found that waste had been accumulated without an environmental permit specifying allowable accumulation limits.
TCO has disputed the findings and launched a pre-trial appeal. While the appeal is under review, administrative action against the company has been suspended. Tengizchevroil stated that it operates in accordance with the requirements and permits issued by authorized state bodies.
Thus, at this point, the issue is 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.
Kazakh authorities have also previously raised environmental claims against the operator of another major oil and gas project, Kashagan. In 2023, Kazakhstan demanded about $5 billion from North Caspian Operating Company over excessive sulfur storage. The consortium is contesting these demands.
Tengizchevroil develops the Tengiz field in Atyrau Region, one of Kazakhstan's largest oil fields. The largest shareholder of TCO is American Chevron with a 50% stake. ExxonMobil holds 25%, national company KazMunayGas 20%, and Russia's Lukoil 5%.
The Tengiz project agreement runs until 2033. According to Bloomberg, project participants are negotiating with Kazakhstan on terms for further development after the current agreement expires.