Tengiz

oil field, Kazakhstan

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Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

The Tengiz oil field, located in Kazakhstan on the northeastern Caspian Sea border, is a supergiant field with up to 9 billion barrels of recoverable reserves. Discovered in 1979, its active development began in 1993 when the American oil company Chevron gained equity. Extracting oil from Tengiz is exceptionally challenging due to high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas, extreme well pressure, and large volumes of natural gas. Kazakhstan is a leading global producer of uranium and possesses significant reserves of various other minerals, including copper, lead, zinc, silver, and rare-earth metals.12

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Kazakhstan
Resources
…exploit the reserves of the Tengiz oil field, marking the world’s largest oil strike in two decades. Other major oil fields include Karachaganak, which began operation in the late Soviet era, and Kashagan, whose development in the early 21st century made it the largest oil field outside the Middle East.
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…exploit the reserves of the Tengiz oil field, marking the world’s largest oil strike in two decades. Other major oil fields include Karachaganak, which began operation in the late Soviet era, and Kashagan, whose development in the early 21st century made it the largest oil field outside the Middle East.
Read More

petroleum
Russia and the Caspian Sea region
The Tengiz field on the northeast border of the Caspian Sea is a supergiant with up to 9 billion barrels recoverable reserves. It was originally discovered in 1979; however, it was not actively developed until the American oil company Chevron gained equity in the region in…
Read More
The Tengiz field on the northeast border of the Caspian Sea is a supergiant with up to 9 billion barrels recoverable reserves. It was originally discovered in 1979; however, it was not actively developed until the American oil company Chevron gained equity in the region in…
Read More