Italian energy group ENI has signed a partnership deal with Kazakh state company Kazmunaigaz aimed at giving it an increased role in the energy-rich Central Asian state, ENI said in a statement. The deal was signed late on Thursday in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Under the terms of the deal, ENI and Kazmunaigaz will look for hydrocarbons in the Isatay and Shagala areas of the Caspian Sea and explore possible joint projects including building a gas turbine power plant in Kazakhstan. ENI chief executive Paolo Scaroni was quoted in the Financial Times as saying that the projects could involve 'very large investments of 40 billion to 50 billion dollars (27 billion to 34 billion euros). ENI already has a strong presence in Kazakhstan including a major share in the project for the vast offshore Kashagan field, which is estimated to hold 13 billion barrels of crude oil and would double Kazakhstan's current production. 