The predicted extractable resources of oil are estimated to be 7.8 billion tons, and those of natural gas 7.1 billions m3. About 70% of these reserves are massed in the western oblasts of Kazakhstan, and the overwhelming part of the resources are associated with salt fields and lie at depths of over five thousand meters. The predicted resources of the Kazakhstan sector of the Caspian shelf are estimated to be around 13.0 billion tons of standard fuel, however the successful development of the Caspian fields requires a significant volume of investment. According to foreign experts, the required cumulative investment could be as much as $160 billion, of which about $10 billion would be for the initial stage of exploration, including field appraisal. So far, western companies have invested more than $7 billion. Some constraint to obtaining investment for exploring the Caspian shelf is the lack of a solution to the status of Caspian Sea. This issue may have been resolved however with the agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia to partition the seafloor of the Caspian along the midline between the two countries. Similar agreements have been concluded among Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan and Russia.Predicted resources of the Aral basin account for about 2 billion tons of standard fuel. The high gas and oil potential and favorable geographic position in respect of the basic transport of groundwater arteries makes the Aral basin one of the most important regions in respect to future oil exploration operations. For more information visit National oil & gas company 
