OREANDA-NEWS. November 08, 2010. Three reports on the successful results of exploration work were submitted to the Turkmengeologiya State Concern reported that vividly illustrated the enormous wealth of the depths of the Turkmen land and the ever-increasing effectiveness of efforts taken by Turkmen specialists to fulfil the priority tasks set by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the oil and gas industry, namely to dynamically strengthen the resource base for Turkmen natural gas that is in growing demand on world markets.

The first report confirmed the potential of the largest gas deposit in the country, Southern Yoloten-Osman. When testing exploration well 28 at interval of 4546 and 4496 metres, this well generated a substantial hydrocarbon flow with the daily flow rate of 1.14 million cubic metres. The new figures significantly supplemented the early data, which is required to specify a geological model and estimate the reserves of this giant field. It should be noted that 11 exploratory wells drilled in the field have generated gas flows.

The second report illustrated the significant success of specialists of the Lebapnebitgazgozleg Department of the Turkmengelogiya State Concern: the 8th facility on exploratory well 205 in the Yaslar field generated the commercial flow with the daily flow rate of over 800,000 cubic metres in interval between 4470 and 4463 metres. There the productive stratum is the carbonate complex that testifies to the high gas content of this area.

The third good news tells about the effectiveness of prospecting work carried out by specialists of the Ahalnebitgazgozleg Department of the Turkmengeologiya State Concern. When testing exploratory well 17 in the Gunbatar Garajaovlak deposit, this well generated the commercial gas flow with the daily flow rate of 270,000 cubic metres in the 18-millimeter connecting pipe in interval between 4750 and 4771 metres.

The highly prospective deposit Garajaovlak situated 79 km to the north of Kaahka Etrap comprises three separate cupolas such as Garajaovlak, Gunbatar Garajaovlak and Yelas. Along with the exploration drilling operations conducted there earlier, well 17 enabled to significantly expand the gas-bearing area in the filed south-westwardly. Specialists expect well 20 to give positive results after drilling operations and testing of wells number 18, 19 and Elashan 1 are completed. This forecast is confirmed by the commercial flow generated in exploration well 19 in interval between 4673 and 4679 metres and 4655 and 4662 metres (Oxford bottom), where the gas-dynamic work is carried out.

According to the Turkmengeologiya State Concern, the important outcomes of this work included the conclusion that the Garajaovlak deposit exceeded the limits of three structures discovered earlier. Based on the successful results of the drilling operations in well 17 and seismic surveys, specialists of the Turkmengeologiya State Concern substantiated and identified new drilling locations in the Gyzylkak anticlinal dome in the south-western region discovered by the Turkmengozleggeofizika Department in the Gunbatar Garajaovlak gas-condensate field.

All this illustrates that in the near future a new large natural gas bearing area will appear in the territory of Ahal Velayat. Its location on the route of the future East-West gas pipeline under construction on the initiative of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov makes this deposit strategically important.

As for the new evidence of the underground wealth of deposits in South Yoloten-Osman, as prospecting work is conducted, the gas-bearing area of this field is expanded rapidly pooling dozens of geologic structures in the central part of the Murghab Valley.

As is known, the additional seismic surveys and exploratory drilling operations conducted by Turkmen geologists in Southern Yoloten-Osman and Minara as well as the complex analysis of the data obtained allowed evaluating their resources potential more precisely. Thus, according to C1 category, the reserves of the Southern Yoloten-Osman field are estimated prospectively to be 9985 trillion cubic metres, whereas according to C2 category at 11055 trillion cubic meters, that is over 21 trillion cubic metres in total.

Thus, the new successful results of Turkmen geologists’ activity confirm again the fact that the depths of Turkmenistan have more than enough reserves of natural gas to implement large-scale plans aimed at ensuring reliable and long-term supplies of Turkmen ‘blue fuel’ via the existing export pipelines to Russia, China and Iran as well as the new routes under development to Pakistan, India and European countries.