President of LUKOIL Vagit Alekperov and Chairman of the Management Board of the National Company KazMunayGas Sauat Mynbayev signed a Principles Agreement on Zhenis license area, in Astana this week.

According to the agreement, the parties will establish a consortium upon completion of relevant procedures, required for the agreement to enter into force, and negotiate with a competent authority of the Republic of Kazakhstan to qualify for exploration and production at the block.

Zhenis area is located in the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea, at depths varying from 75 to 100 meters, close to fields with proven hydrocarbon reserves, 80 kilometers offshore and 180 kilometers away from the port of Aktau (Kazakhstan).

​The new Caspian project is an important milestone in terms of sprawling of the company's resource base in the strategically critical region, where the company has already gained significant competencies. ​