Atyrau court rejects NCOC appeal against 2.3 trillion tenge environmental fine enforcement

September 28, 2026 at 12:52 PM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A specialized administrative court in Atyrau Region on September 23 rejected NCOC's lawsuit challenging enforcement actions over a 2.3 trillion tenge environmental fine. The court upheld the July 21 seizure of the Kashagan operator's property and transport. The ruling can be appealed.

Key Facts

The Atyrau specialized inter-district administrative court rejected NCOC's claims on September 23.
The court upheld the July 21 seizure of Kashagan operator's real estate and transport.
The environmental fine totals 2,356,293,268,036 tenge.
Enforcement proceedings were suspended on September 7 pending NCOC's appeal.
An international arbitration court in July barred Kazakhstan from enforcing the fine until arbitration concludes.

Court Ruling

The specialized inter-district administrative court of Atyrau Region rejected NCOC's lawsuit on September 23. The consortium sought to annul the July 21 enforcement order and the seizure of its property and transport. The court dismissed the claims against the state bailiff of the Atyrau Region justice department. The decision can be appealed.

Environmental Fine Dispute

The fine stems from alleged excess sulfur storage at Kashagan, imposed by the government in early 2023. Kazakhstan's courts, including the Supreme Court, upheld the fine, and the Atyrau regional court affirmed it in June. The debt totals 2,356,293,268,036 tenge. NCOC maintains its sulfur processing complies with the law and initiated international arbitration in February. In July, an international arbitration court prohibited Kazakhstan from enforcing the fine until the arbitration concludes.