ALMATY (Reuters) -Kazakhstan’s regional ecological department is pressing ahead with an around $4.4 billion fine against an international consortium developing the country’s giant Kashagan oilfield, according to an official document and a source, amid prolonged legal battles.

The NCOC consortium, which includes Eni, Shell, TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil, said its shareholders strongly disagree with any such fine and will continue to pursue all available avenues of recourse against the decision.

Kazakhstan’s government originally fined NCOC 2.3 trillion tenge – then worth $5.4 billion – in early 2023 for ecological violations related to an inspection of Kashagan’s gas processing facilities in 2022, when the authorities said they discovered excessive volumes of poisonous sulphur at the site.

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