NUR-SULTAN / EX ASTANA (Reuters) — Kazakhstan and a consortium of oil majors developing the giant Kashagan oil and gas field are considering building a $1 bln gas processing plant nearby, Kazakh Deputy Energy Minister Murat Zhurebekov told Reuters on Thursday.

Zhurebekov said his country had not decided how to finance the project, which would have a capacity of 1 bln m³/ year using gas from Kashagan, which plans to ramp up its output over the coming years: “We have not decided whether it would be state funds, private money or money from the national (gas market) operator Kaztransgas.

Kashagan is being developed by a consortium which includes Eni, ExxonMobil, CNPC, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Inpex and Kazakh state energy firm KazMunayGaz. Kazakhstan had been in talks with another group of foreign companies, including Chevron and LUKOIL in addition to Shell and KazMunayGaz, about a similar project linked to the Karachaganak gas condensate field.

But Zhurebekov said the government in Nur-Sultan (ex Astana) has given up on the idea because developing Karachaganak would require gas re-injection to further increase condensate production.