Tengizchevroil: background
The joint venture was formed in April 1993, when the Kazakh government granted it exclusive 40-year development rights, so it is a long-established operation with mature site procedures.
Tengizchevroil · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone for Tengizchevroil
Tengizchevroil is a joint venture developing the Tengiz and Korolevskoye fields in the Atyrau region of Kazakhstan. Its shareholders are Chevron (50%), ExxonMobil (25%) and KazMunayGas (20%), with a further minority holder (5%). First oil from its Future Growth Project Third-Generation Plant came in January 2025. This page explains what to look for in an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Tengizchevroil, and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicintrinsically safe
DeviceMobile Phone
RouteSpecification
WhereTengizchevroil
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.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · intrinsically safe
Checklist: intrinsically safe mobile phone for Tengizchevroil
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Level of protection | ia, ib or ic matched to the zone | ib, for Zone 1 |
| Entity parameters | Uo, Io and Po within the device limits | Published with the certificate |
| Accessories | Chargers and cases certified with the device | Defined at certification |
| Where it applies | Tengizchevroil: Crude oil production plants (including the Third-Generation Plant), Wellsites and gathering facilities | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Kazakhstan
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
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.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The organisation · Tengizchevroil
Working with Tengizchevroil LLP (TCO): sites and classified areas
The main sites and the hazardous-area types a portable device is likely to meet at this organisation.
Sites and areas
- Tengiz field, Atyrau region
- Korolevskoye field
Classified areas
- Crude oil production plants (including the Third-Generation Plant)
- Wellsites and gathering facilities
Supplier approval · Tengizchevroil
Supplier registration at Tengizchevroil
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.
Field notes · Tengizchevroil
More about Tengizchevroil that matters for portable equipment
Tengizchevroil: rules and approvals
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.
Tengizchevroil: people and language
The company is reported to employ about 4,000 people, around 95% of them residents of Kazakhstan, which makes local-language training and instructions important for any new equipment.
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.
The term · intrinsically safe
What “intrinsically safe” means for a smartphone
Intrinsic safety limits the electrical and thermal energy in a circuit so that neither a spark nor a hot surface can ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even when a fault occurs. The ib level, used for Zone 1, tolerates one fault. It is the usual way to make a handheld device that a worker carries continuously through a hazardous area.
The IS-04Z1 is designed on this principle for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4). Intrinsic safety is a design basis, not a certificate: certification is in progress and none has been issued yet.
In Tengizchevroil. Operators at Tengiz and Korolevskoye move between wellsites, gathering facilities and plant units, often over distance. A handheld intrinsically safe phone lets them record readings, photograph equipment and raise work requests from inside the classified area. It would also help the large contractor workforce during plant start-up support and routine inspection rounds.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Tengizchevroil
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · Tengizchevroil
Frequently asked questions
Can Tengizchevroil buy the IS-04Z1 today?
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.
What does an intrinsically safe mobile phone for Tengizchevroil cost?
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
What does ‘intrinsically safe’ mean for the IS-04Z1?
The circuits are designed to limit energy so a spark or hot surface cannot ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even with one fault (level ib, Zone 1). Certification of that design is in progress.
How does Tengizchevroil approve suppliers?
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.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
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.
Who approves handheld equipment for work at the Tengiz field?
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.
Can a supplier sell directly to Tengizchevroil or must it go through a contractor?
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.
What does extreme cold mean for a handheld at Tengiz?
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.
Related guides
Keep exploring
More on Tengizchevroil, and on other places in Kazakhstan.
IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for TengizchevroilSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for TengizchevroilSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone for TengizchevroilSame place, different guide
Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone Supplier for TengizchevroilSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Supplier for KazMunayGasElsewhere in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for KazakhstanEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Tengizchevroil
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Tengizchevroil, 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.
Enquiry · Tengizchevroil
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Tengizchevroil?
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.