Jupiter Energy Ltd. appointed Sergey Kostin as the new head of operations in Kazakhstan, leading the operations team as the company prepares to restart producing in 2017 during “a critical period in the development of Block 31,” according to a Dec. 1 press release.

Kostin will be based in Aktau, Kazakhstan, reporting to Jupiter Energy’s CEO, Geoff Gander, and working with in-country partners and Kazakh oil and gas authorities.

Kostin has 30 years’ experience in the oil sector, with more than 14 spent in operational roles at Schlumberger. He has also worked with several Russian oil companies, most recently as director of drilling for SGC Drilling.