Gazprom International has asked the Government of Tajikistan for permit for drilling the second well at the Sariqamish gas field in the Shahrinav district, Murod Jumazoda, Chairman of the Main Geology Directorate under the Government of Tajikistan, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe.
According to him, they have not yet received the results of the drilling of the Shahrinav-1P wildcat well at the Sariqamish gas field.
Jumazoda noted that like the drilling of the first wildcat the process of drilling the second well at the Sariqamish gas field would also be long and difficult.
“It is necessary to hold a tender and develop a project”, said Tajik chief geologist. “It may take four or five years”.
Gazprom International, an affiliate of Russia’s state-controlled company Gazprom, completed the drilling of the Shahrinva-1P wildcat well at the Sariqamish field, Shahrinav district in central Tajikistan, some 36 kilometers southwest of Dushanbe, on June 11, 2013. They reportedly reached the target well depth of 6,450 meters.
The Sariqamish field reportedly has possible gas reserves of 18 billion cubic meters, possible oil reserves of 17 million tons and possible reserves of dissolved gas of 2 billion cubic meters.
Gazprom now has licenses to explore two oil-and-gas reserves in Tajikistan: Sariqamish and the Western Shohambari. In September 2013, Gazprom’s licenses for exploration of Sariqamish and Western Shohambari fields were extended for five years.
During his visit to Tajikistan, Gazprom chief Alexei Millersaid on September 18, 2013 that his company was interested in obtaining more licenses to explore natural-gas fields in Tajikistan.
According to Miller, Gazprom has invested some $150 million in two major natural-gas fields in Tajikistan’s north since 2010.
In August 2013, Gazprom reportedly announced an additional $15 million investment in its operations at the Sariqamish gas field.
Cooperation between the Tajik government and Russia’s state-controlled company Gazprom is regulated by a long-term (till 2028) agreement on strategic cooperation in the gas industry signed between Gazprom and Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy in Dushanbe on May 15, 2003 and a memorandum of intent on launching joint Tajik-Russian enterprises of March 28, 2006. Gazprom has been working in Tajikistan on providing the beginning of geological explorations since July 2006.
According to expert estimates, the aggregate raw-materials resources of the oil and gas bearing areas in Tajikistan amount to about 1,000 billion tons of reference fuel. At the same time, production work at oil and gas fields require considerable expenditure, since hydrocarbon deposits occur at depths ranging from 6.5 to 8 kilometers. (Asia-Plus/Business World Magazine)
