DUSHANBE, March 16, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan seeks cooperation with Azerbaijan in development of its gas and oil sector.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI), they are ready to offer Azeri investors at least four projects aimed at development and processing of the following natural-gas and oil fields in southern Tajikistan: Qashqoqum; Western Olimtoy; Guldrara; as well as bore-holes in four areas of the gas field Rengan.
The source at a MoEI noted that another four of eight areas at the gas field Rengan will be developed by Russia’s state-controlled gas company Gazprom, which in December 2006 received two licenses to explore oil and gas reserves in Tajikistan. The Rengan gas field located 20 kilometers south of Dushanbe, has possible gas reserves of 35 million cubic meters.
Besides, there are other fields in Tajikistan, oil and gas reserves of which have not yet been explored, according to the source. “If Azerbaijan is interested in those four projects we will consider the possibility of participation of Azeri companies in exploring gas and oil reserves of those fields as well,” the source said.
As far as the oil and gas field Qashqoqum, located in the Khatlon province, is concerned, Tajik-British joint venture Noor-Silk Road, having its refuel stations in the Tajik northern city of Konibodom, has already eyed this field, according to the source. Qashqoqum field has possible oil reserves of 4.9 million tons.
The aggregate raw-materials resources of the oil and gas bearing areas in Tajikistan amount to about 1,000 billion tons of reference fuel, including more than 113 million tons of oil and 863 billion cubic meters of natural gas, according to expert estimates.
However, production work at oil and gas fields require considerable expenditure, since hydrocarbon deposits occur at depths ranging from 6.5 to 8 kilometers.
