The giant Kashagan oilfield in the Caspian Sea off Kazakhstan is not expected to restart production until next year, according to French supermajor Total.

The field, which took nearly 13 years and $50 billion to complete, is operated by a consortium comprising Total, Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell, Italy’s Eni, US supermajor ExxonMobil, Kazakh state company KazMunaiGas, Japan’s Inpex and China National Petroleum Corporation.

It was only brought online in September but was shut down two weeks later, then again on 9 October, following reported gas leaks.

At the start of this month, the consortium’s operating company said inspections and investigations would take “some weeks”.

But on Sunday, Total chief executive Christophe de Margerie told a news conference in Abu Dhabi that Kashagan would not be able to resume production before the end of the year.

“It’s more than simply repairing pipes,” Reuters quoted de Margerie as saying.

The consortium must be sure before restarting production that the whole piping system would operate safely over the long term, he said.

According to Kazakh oil industry officials, the field has been producing more than 60,000 barrels per day prior to the second leak.

The consortium is required to achieve commercial output of 75,000 bpd this month to meet its contractual obligations.

The Kashagan oilfield, located 80 kilometres south-east of Atyrau, is expected to reach 180,000 bpd in the initial phase before ramping up to 350,000 bpd.