DUSHANBE, June 10, Asia-Plus — Russian state-controlled gas company Gazprom and Tajikistan”s ministry of energy and industries are expected to will sign a new agreement that will provide for main principles of exploring gas and oil reserves in Tajikistan.
The document will be inked by Tajik Energy and Industries Minister Gul Sherali and Gazprom deputy head also director general of closed joint-stock company Zarubezhneftegaz (Gazprom’s subsidiary) Valery Golubev.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI), Golubev is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minster Oqil Oqilov and Energy and Industries Minister Gul Sherali today to discuss state and prospects of implementation of projects on exploring gas and oil reserves in Tajikistan.
We will recall that an agreement on cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia on cooperation in the gas industry was singed in May 2003. In March 2006, Gazprom and Tajik Ministry of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on launching an oil and gas joint venture. Initially, Gazprom has allocated $6 million to the joint venture. Gazprom holds the JV’s controlling stake. Under the deal, Gazprom will develop four gas fields – Sariqamysh and Rengan in the west, and Sargazon and Olimtoi in the south.
In December 2006, Gazprom received two licenses from the Tajik government to explore oil and gas reserves. The Rengan field, located 20 kilometers from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, has possible gas reserves of 35 billion cubic meters, according to Gazprom; Sargazon, located in Khatlon province 150 kilometers from Dushanbe, has possible reserves of 30 billion cubic meters.
Gazprom intends to explore oil and gas reserves of Sargazon, Rengan, Sariqamysh and Olimtoi in the coming five years.
According to expert estimates, the aggregate raw-materials resources of the oil and gas bearing areas in Tajikistan amount to about 1,000bn 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 km.
