DUSHANBE, December 20, 2013, Asia-Plus – Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasoulzoda heading a group of Tajik officials visited the Shanrinav-1P wildcat well at the Sariqamish gas field in the Shahrinav district on December 18.
Located some 36 kilometers southwest of Dushanbe, the Sariqamish gas field is explored by Gazprom International, an affiliate of Russia’s state-controlled company, Gazprom.
Director-General of Gazprom International’s office in Tajikistan, Igor Shatalov, informed Tajik officials of exploration operations being carried out at the field and prospects of further activity of Gazprom International in Tajikistan.
The sides reportedly also discussed issues related to be beginning of exploration operations at the Western Shohambari field, which is located in the Hisor district.
Shatalov noted that they planned to launch exploration operations at the Western Shohambari field in the second quarter of 2014.
Gazprom International is expected to conclude the Shahrinav-1P wildcat well test in the summer 2014. The company completed the drilling of the Shahrinva-1P wildcat on June 11, 2013. They reached the target well depth of 6,450 meters.
To-date, more than 1.5 billion Russian rubles (RR) have been invested in exploration of the Sariqamish field, which reportedly has possible gas reserves of 18 billion cubic meters, possible oil reserves of 17 million tons, and possible dissolved gas reserves of 2 billion cubic meters.
In the near future, the Government of Tajikistan is expected to grant licenses to Gazprom for exploration of new gas and oil fields in the country.
Gazprom now has licenses to explore two oil-and-gas reserves in Tajikistan: Sariqamish and the Western Shohambari. In September this year, Gazprom’s licenses for exploration of Sariqamish and Western Shohambari fields were extended for five years.
Gazprom chief Alexei Miller visited Tajikistan on September 17-18 this year. He told journalists after the talks with President Rahmon on September 18 that his company is 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, 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.
