Kazakh KMG E&P sees flat output, more buys in '09

ALMATY, June 26 (Reuters) - Kazakh oil producer KazMunaiGas Exploration and Production (KMG E&P) (KMGq.L) said on Thursday it wanted to buy a 50 percent stake in a firm owned by Russia's LUKOIL and a unit of China's CNPC (0135.HK).

KMG E&P Deputy Chief Executive Vladimir Miroshnikov told Reuters he was eyeing CNPC-controlled PetroKazakhstan's 50 percent stake in Turgai Petroleum, an upstream company in which Russia's LUKOIL (LKOH.MM) owns another 50 percent.

LUKOIL said this week it was also keen to boost its stake in Turgai Petroleum.

"We are interested in this asset and we will insist on it," Miroshnikov said.

He gave no further details on the Turgai plans but said separately his company planned to keep next year's output unchanged compared to this year's planned production.

"We plan to keep output flat at 9.5 million tonnes at our core fields," he said. "The same goes for our joint ventures."

The company plans to obtain about 2.5 million tonnes of crude from its stakes in several smaller Kazakh producers this year. (Reporting by Mariya Gordeyeva; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; editing by Sue Thomas)