Tengizchevroil: geography and layout
Chevron describes Tengiz as the world's deepest producing supergiant oil field, with the top of the reservoir roughly 13,000 feet, or about 4,000 metres, below ground.
Tengizchevroil is a joint venture developing the Tengiz and Korolevskoye fields in the Atyrau region of Kazakhstan. Because the venture is operated for international partners, supplier access normally runs through its own approved-contractor and HSE induction process rather than a general national register; confirm current rules with its procurement team. If you are specifying an explosion proof mobile phone for Tengizchevroil, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Tengizchevroil: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Protection concept | Flameproof (Ex d) or intrinsic safety (Ex i) | Intrinsic safety, level ib |
| Zone suitability | Zone 1 gas and Zone 21 dust | Design target for Zone 1 and 21 |
| Certificate | Number, issuing body and schedule of conditions | In progress; not issued |
| Where it applies | Tengizchevroil: Crude oil production plants (including the Third-Generation Plant), Wellsites and gathering facilities | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kazakhstan. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Where it operates and the kinds of classified area a handset would meet there.
TCO's procurement favours qualified Kazakhstani contractors (over 1,250 contracts awarded to local firms on the Future Growth Project); confirm current supplier requirements with TCO. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
Chevron describes Tengiz as the world's deepest producing supergiant oil field, with the top of the reservoir roughly 13,000 feet, or about 4,000 metres, below ground.
Tengizchevroil holds the right to develop the Tengiz and Korolevskoye oil fields, which lie in the north-eastern part of the Caspian Sea basin in western Kazakhstan.
Chevron holds 50%, ExxonMobil 25% and KazMunayGas 20%, with a minority partner holding the remainder, so contractor standards are shaped by international majors as well as the national company.
Tengizchevroil completed the Future Growth Project-Wellhead Pressure Management Project in 2025, designed to add 260,000 barrels a day at full capacity and take total Tengiz output to roughly one million barrels of oil equivalent a day.
“Explosion proof” is the phrase most buyers use for equipment that may be taken into a classified hazardous area. Strictly, it covers several protection concepts: a flameproof enclosure (Ex d) contains an internal explosion, while intrinsic safety (Ex i) limits electrical energy so that an ignition cannot start. Phones are normally intrinsically safe, because a flameproof handset would be too heavy to carry all shift.
The IS-04Z1 uses intrinsic safety, with a marking target of Ex ib IIC T4, and is designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21. It is pre-launch, certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued.
In Tengizchevroil. In a large crude oil production plant, explosion-proof is a casual label for different concepts. Flameproof Ex d protects fixed electrical enclosures, while intrinsic safety limits electrical energy and suits handheld devices. For operators moving through the Tengiz plants and wellsites with a phone, intrinsic safety is the relevant concept, and the IS-04Z1 is designed around it.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
It is intrinsically safe (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), which is the usual way to make a phone for hazardous areas. It is not a flameproof (Ex d) design, and certification is still in progress.
TCO's procurement favours qualified Kazakhstani contractors (over 1,250 contracts awarded to local firms on the Future Growth Project); confirm current supplier requirements with TCO.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Equipment approval is typically managed by the operator's own HSE and engineering groups, together with its contractor management process. There is no public list, so a supplier should ask Tengizchevroil's procurement team which certifications and area classifications are required before any site trial.
Both routes exist in large oil ventures. Direct supply normally requires registration with the company's procurement system, while many devices reach site through engineering contractors who must meet the same standards. Ask the procurement team which route applies to your product category.
Low temperatures cut battery capacity and can make screens sluggish. IP68 helps with dust and snow but is not an explosion rating. Check the datasheet operating range, test at your coldest conditions, keep spare batteries warm and charge only in safe areas. Site HSE rules will set how devices are carried.
More on Tengizchevroil, and on other places in Kazakhstan.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.