Producer

Tengizchevroil (TCO)

HQ KZ · Atyrau, Kazakhstanwebsite ↗

Joint venture operating the Tengiz and Korolevskoye oilfields in Kazakhstan: Chevron (50%), ExxonMobil (25%), Kazmunaigaz (20%), Lukoil (5%). Tengiz crude oil has up to 17% sulfur content — among the highest of any major oilfield globally. Sulfur accumulation at Tengiz became a major environmental issue: a $71M fine was levied in 2007 for sulfur storage violations. Kazakhstan exported $199M worth of sulfur in Q1 2022 alone (+263% YoY). TCO exports oil (and associated sulfur) via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) to Novorossiysk on the Black Sea — a single-pipeline dependency. CPC terminal damaged in March 2022, disrupting Kazakhstan exports. Tengiz fire (January 2026) caused force majeure.

3

Inputs supplied

2

Goods downstream

1

Facilities

0

Stories

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3 inputs Tengizchevroil (TCO) supplies

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  • Crude Oil Production (Tengiz + Korolevskoye)

    85%
  • Elemental Sulfur

  • LPG (Propane + Butane)

  • Dry Gas / Sales Gas

  • Sour Gas Reinjection (SGI)

Intelligence

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  • Did you know2024

    TengizChevroil's ultra-sour crude (17% sulfur) mandatorily produces approximately 2.7 million tonnes per year of elemental sulfur as a processing byproduct — making TCO one of the world's largest single-source sulfur producers (~4% of global trade). The dominant buyer is not China, as commonly assumed, but Morocco's OCP Group (world's largest phosphate producer), which received 73% of Kazakhstan's sulfur exports in 2024. OCP converts this sulfur into sulfuric acid for DAP and MAP phosphate fertilizer exported to India and Europe. A Chevron-operated Kazakhstan oil field is thus an invisible upstream link in the food security supply chains of India and the EU — oil production in Central Asia feeds into Asian crop yields.

    Argus Media
  • Capacity2026

    On January 18, 2026, two successive fires at TCO's GTES-4 gas turbine power station (the main electrical supply for both Tengiz and Korolevskoye fields) forced an immediate production halt. TCO declared force majeure on January 22, covering crude oil and sulfur deliveries. The fires removed more than 600,000 bpd from global supply and created a global sulfur supply shock — Kazakhstan had been supplying ~73% of Morocco's sulfur imports for phosphate fertilizer production. Production was progressively restored, reaching ~978,000 bpd by March 2026.

    Upstream Online
  • Origin2023

    TengizChevroil was established in 1993 as one of the first major Western oil joint ventures in post-Soviet Central Asia, months after Kazakhstan's independence. The Tengiz field was discovered by Soviet geologists in 1979 but deemed uneconomic due to extreme sour gas content (12.5 mol% H2S) that corroded Soviet-era equipment. Chevron's 1993 JV agreement brought Western processing technology and capital capable of handling the sour conditions. The deal is often cited as a foundational moment in the transition of ex-Soviet hydrocarbon assets to Western ownership structures.

    TengizChevroil LLP