AKIPRESS.COM - Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said on Thursday that a special commission was investigating the causes of the January 18 incident which forced the shutdown of the vast Tengiz oil field, Reuters reported.

Oil production at the Tengiz oil field, one of the world's largest, was halted after a fire at power unit. It is unclear what caused the fire.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that production at the field, the world’s deepest producing supergiant oil field and the largest single-trap producing reservoir, could be halted for another 7-10 days.

"The commission is currently conducting a detailed technical analysis of the causes of the incident," the Energy Ministry said.

The commission will "clarify all the circumstances of the technological violation that occurred on January 18 (shutdown of gas turbine installations)," it said.

Production was halted, it said, to protect personnel and equipment.

Tengizchevroil (TCO), operated by Chevron, issued a force majeure on CPC Blend supplies after the fire and subsequent power outage, the sources told Reuters.