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- THE WEEK, Page 24BUSINESSUnderground Partners
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- An American giant stakes out a big oil position in Kazakhstan
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- For the past year, scores of wildcatters and would-be oil
- barons have been looking for ways to capitalize on the legendary
- oil reserves in the Commonwealth of Independent States. But
- when mighty Chevron signed an agreement with Kazakhstan last
- week to develop the Tengiz field, one of the world's largest,
- it marked the biggest partnership to date between a U.S.
- corporation and a former Soviet republic. The plan calls for the
- partners to invest $20 billion in the venture over the next 40
- years. Chevron will have a 50% interest, but Kazakhstan will get
- 80% of the income, after the U.S. oil company pays taxes and
- royalties on its share. The region could eventually produce as
- much as 9 billion barrels of oil, which would help boost the
- output of the former Soviet Union. Last year, overall C.I.S.
- production fell 12%. The deal was nearly three years in the
- making, and operation is expected to begin early next year.
- Chevron's step could induce other large U.S. corporations to
- invest in the politically fragile area.
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