Tajikistan’s lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) has ratified a supplementary agreement between the Government of Tajikistan (GoT), CNPC Central Asia B.V. (“CNPC”) and Total E&P Tajikistan B.V. (“Total”), according to the Majlisi Namoyandagon press center.
The new agreement it is already the fifth addition to the Production Sharing Agreement concluded between the Government of Tajikistan and Kulob Petroleum Limited, which was a Tajikistan-based wholly-owned subsidiary of Canada’sTethys Petroleum Limited, on June 13, 2008.
It is about the Bokhtar Production Sharing Contract (PSC). Singed in 2008, the 25-year Bokhtar PSC reportedly covers a total area of approximately 35,000 square kilometers in the Afghan Tajik portion of the prolific Amu Darya basin west of the Pamir Mountains. The area included in the PSC is in the south-western part of Tajikistan and is a large, highly prospective region which has existing oil and gas discoveries.
The supplementary agreement involves the concession by the French company (Total) of its share to the Chinese corporation (CNPC).
“The Government [of Tajikistan] agrees to such transfer and assignment in accordance with the terms of this Supplementary Agreement,” reads the document.
It is noted that the Production Sharing Agreement concluded with Kulob Petroleum Limited in 2008 “shall hereinafter be read and construed as the Production Sharing Agreement concluded between the Government of Tajikistan and CNPC.”
Recall, the head of the Main Geology Directorate under the Government of Tajikistan told reporters in Dushanbe on July 27 last year that currently, only two companies – domestic Somon Oil and China’s CNPC – have licenses for exploring oil and gas deposits in in Tajikistan.
He noted that Somon Oil is engaged in exploring oil and gas deposits in Sughd province and CNPC is engaged in exploring oil and gas deposits in the south of Tajikistan.
The Main Geology Directorate top manager further added that the confirmed aggregate raw-materials resources of the oil and gas bearing areas in Tajikistan amount to more than 2.5 billion tons.
Meanwhile, according to the previous 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.
According to some sources, there are 24 oil fields and 14 gas fields registered in Tajikistan.
