OREANDA-NEWS. March 12, 2010. This year’s drilling operations are still equivalent only to 13.9% of drilling for 2009 (168,182 m).

SOCAR informs that if not to take into account drilling operations by joint ventures (JVs) and operating companies (OCs) it drilled 12,890 m in February versus 10,463 m in January 2010, 12,770 m in December and 17,399 m in April (last year’s best indicator) of 2009.

Drilling for 2010 still totals 23,353 m against 168,182 m for 2009 and 202,954 m for 2008.

This February development drilling made up 12,740 m and exploration drilling 150 m (+29.9% and -77.3% against January 2010). The best indicator of exploration drilling in 2009 was registered in October (2,699 m).

This year development drilling has totaled 22,543 m, exploration drilling 660 m and wildcat drilling 150 m versus 160,326 m of development and 7,856 m of exploration drilling in 2009.

The target for 2010 as well as for 2009 was not published, and the target for 2008 was 190,434 m (including 181,204 m of development and 9,230 m of exploratory drilling respectively).

In 2007, SOCAR (if not to take into account JVs and OCs) drilled 190,376 m, including 185,234 m of development and 5,142 m of exploration drilling.