Kazakhstan-state energy firm KazMuniGas has won a £1billion-plus court battle with one of the country’s environmental watchdogs over claims it had not disposed of contaminated soil properly.
The department of ecology in the country’s Mangystau region had claimed the firm had caused £1.1billion worth of environmental damage from disposing of soil contaminated during development of one of the country’s oil fields.
But a court in the region has now dismissed the claim, after KazMunaiGas argued the contaminated soil related to past activities on the site rather than work by the oil explorers.
“There remains the possibility that the Court’s ruling may be appealed by the parties and the prosecutor’s office,” KMG warned today.
“However, given the positive outcome of previous appeals, the Company believes that OMG will successfully appeal this claim in following court proceedings.”