Eni to Loose Sole Operator Status after 2010

ROME (Dow Jones)--Eni SpA (E), Total SA (TOT), ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) will co-manage the giant Kashagan oil project from 2010 as part of the deal reached over the weekend with the Kazakh government to end a dispute, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reports Monday.

The report says, without citing sources, the four oil companies will co-manage the field when daily output reaches 370,000 barrels of oil, seen occurring between 2010 and 2011.

Italy's Eni is currently the sole operator of Kashagan. The Eni-led consortium and the Kazakh government have been in a dispute since last summer over the start of output delays and cost overruns for Kashagan.