OREANDA-NEWS. December 20, 2011. North Caspian Operating Company B.V. (NCOC), together with NC Production Operations Company B.V. (NCPOC), the agent company responsible for the consortium's Social and Infrastructure Projects (SIP), hosted a ceremony today to handover a kindergarten for 160 children in the settlement of Damba, Atyrau Region, built under the SIP programme.

Opening the kindergarten, NCOC's External Relations Director Pierre Delpont said: "I would like to stress the consortium's continued commitment to supporting local communities in the areas we operate in. The kindergarten we are handing over today is another proof of that. We are hosting this event together with NCPOC, which has been delegated by our consortium to execute SIP projects."

"SIPs are an important element of NCOC's corporate and social responsibility. To illustrate the point, allow me to give you one figure: Between 1998 and the end of 2010, more than USD  90 million had been spent in Atyrau Region alone," he added.

The project is the latest in a series of SIP events to be handed over to the local community. Between 1998 and the end of 2010, more than 136 projects were completed in close collaboration with local authorities in Atyrau and Mangistau Regions. This covers education, healthcare, sport and culture and other infrastructure designed to benefit the community. Funds are equally split between Atyrau and Mangistau oblasts.

As part of preparations for the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence, the Consortium plans to complete a number of SIP projects in 2011, 8 of which are in Atyrau and 8 in Mangistau Oblasts.

The handover event was attended by Deputy Atyrau Region Akim B. Daukenov, Atyrau city Akim M. Ismuratov, representatives of the authorities of the settlement of Damba, NCOC and its agent company NCPOC.