DUSHANBE, February 21, 2009, Asia-Plus — Closed joint-stock company (CJSC) Gazprom Zarubezhneftegaz, subsidiary of Russia’s state-controlled gas company Gazprom, announced intention to launch large-scale exploration of three gas-and-oil deposits in Tajikistan in May-June this year at a meeting in Orienburg, Russia on February 17.
The meeting that was held in Orienburg on February 17-18 brought together representatives of the Tajik government and senior representatives of Gazprom Zarubezhneftegaz.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, a spokesperson for Gazprom Zarubezhneftegaz’s office in Dushanbe Yekaterina Kozhevnikova said that the meeting participants had included senior representatives of the Tajik relevant ministries and department and top managers of Gazprom and Gazprom Zarubezhneftegaz. Tajikistan was represented at the meeting by Main Geology Directorate Chairman Azim Ibrohim, Deputy Energy and Industries Minister Zarobiddin Fayzulloyev and some other officials.
The purpose of the meeting was to familiarize relevant ministries and organizations of Tajikistan with activities and opportunities of Gazprom, the spokesperson said. According to her, exploration of gas-and-oil fields in Tajikistan was the focus of the meeting.
During the meeting, Gazprom Zarubezhneftegaz announced its intention to launch large-scale exploration of Sariqamish, Saragazon and Rengan fields in May-June this year.
The meeting participants noted that production work at the mentioned oil and gas fields would be difficult, since hydrocarbon deposits occurred at depths ranging from 5.5 to 7 kilometers.
Gazprom and the Government of Tajikistan signed an agreement on main principles underlying the geological survey of the licensed oil and gas fields in Tajikistan on June 15, 2008. Under this document, Gazprom is carrying out geological exploration at four oil and gas fields in Tajikistan.
Gazprom has received four licenses from the Tajik government to explore oil and gas reserves. In December 2006, the company received licenses to explore Rengan (Roudaki district) and Sargazon fields (Khatlon’s Dangahra district) fields and in September 2008, it received licenses to explore Sariqamish (Shahrinav district) and Western Shohambari (Hisor district) fields.
According to expert estimates, the possible aggregate gas reserves of these fields amount to 70-80 billion cubic meters that will allow meeting Tajikistan’s requirements in natural gas.
As it had been reported earlier, according to Gazprom, the Rengan field has possible gas reserves of 35 billion cubic meters, and Sargazon has possible reserves of 30 billion cubic meters.
