Parmy Olson, 08.27.07, 12:45 PM ET
LONDON – Italian energy firm Eni has kicked off crucial negotiations with Kazakhstan at a time when one of its biggest-ever oil production projects appears to be in danger.
The Kazakh government announced Monday that it was suspending operations at its Kashagan oilfield for three months because Eni, the leader of a group of oil companies including ExxonMobil (nyse: XOM – news – people ), Total, Royal Dutch Shell (nyse: RDSA – news – people ) and CononoPhillips (nyse: COP – news – people ), which have stakes in the offshore project, had violated environmental regulations.