OREANDA-NEWS. March 24, 2010. The main events in April for the oil and gas industry of Kazakhstan and the Caspian Region are Atyrau Oil & Gas, the 9th North Caspian Regional Atyrau Oil, Gas and Infrastructure Exhibition, and OilTech Atyrau, the Atyrau Regional Petroleum Technology Conference. The events are organised by the Kazakhstani exhibition company Iteca and its international partners from the UK and Germany.

The Atyrau Oil & Gas exhibition will occupy 2000m? of the Atyrau Sports Complex, and present about 100 companies from 10 countries: UK, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Lithuania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and France. In addition to the oil and gas companies KazMunaiGas Exploration Production, Tengizchevroil (TCO) and North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), the exhibition will bring together companies that offer services in the oil and gas industry, oil and gas equipment, special clothing, environmental protection technology, and companies engaged in construction and infrastructure. Given the results of previous events, the organisers have noticed steady interest in this event, from both exhibitors and visitors. The participation of Russian companies in the exhibition in 2010 has met, and is even exceeding, the expectations of the organisers (over 30% of the total number of exhibitors). Also, the growing potential of the event is illustrated by the fact that, along with the regular exhibitors (80%), every year new companies take part in the exhibition.

OilTech Atyrau, the Atyrau Regional Petroleum Technology Conference, will be held in the Renaissance Atyrau Hotel. About 130 delegates and 20 speakers will take part in the conference. The main topics of the conference will be: the role of the Atyrau Region in the political and economic development of Kazakhstan; the strategic development of exploration and production in Kazakhstan; environmental initiatives (specific examples); water resources and wastewater management: solutions and technologies; risk assessment; and oil transportation and processing technologies.

Over the past ten years, oil production has doubled in Kazakhstan, and new routes have been created for the transportation of hydrocarbons to world markets. The development of the oil and gas industry will continue to have a positive affect on the the pace of development of the non-oil sectors of Kazakhstan's economy. In this regard, the importance of the exhibition and conference, which are held in close proximity to oil and gas production sites and processing plants, is difficult to overstate. As noted by Sauat Mynbayev, Minister of Oil and Gas of the Republic of Kazakhstan: “Today, Kazakhstan is one of the leading countries in the Eurasian region. The successful development of the oil and gas industry plays an important role in improving the stability of the country’s international and regional situation. The country is dominant. The growth of production capacities and expansion of transport infrastructure is promoting greater cooperation between Kazakh and international oil and gas industry professionals. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the West Kazakhstan region and Atyrau, Kazakhstan’s oil capital, to the country’s political and economic life - the growing interest in the oil and gas events held here serves as proof of this. Since their launch, Atyrau Oil & Gas and OilTech Atyrau have become a traditional meeting for representatives of the international oil and gas community.”