DUSHANBE (Nezavisimaya Gazeta) – Tajikistan is seeking Russian gas giant Gazprom’s help in accelerating gas production, Russia’s Nezavisimaya Gazeta (NG) reported February 9. Tajik Prime Minister Akil Akilov February 7 asked Gazprom officials to accelerate work on the Sarykamysh gas field.

Shakhrinav-1p prospecting well
Last week, Gazprom hosted a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee and Sherali Gul (شیرعلی گل), Minister of Energy and Industry of Tajikistan. During the meeting the parties discussed the operational issues related to the present status and future prospects of Gazprom’s projects in Tajikistan.
In particular, Sherali Gul asked Alexey Miller to speed up the drilling of Tajikistan’s deepest prospecting well, Shakhrinav-1p, in the Sarykamysh licensed area. Drilling operations have been underway since late 2010. So far, over a half of the total well depth (6,300 meters) has been drilled.

Gazprom has licences to drill in four Tajik deposits but wants licences to explore elsewhere in Tajikistan as well as tax breaks, NG reported, adding Tajik officials suggest Gazprom is in no hurry to end Tajik dependence on Russian energy.

Tajikistan supplies only 2% of its own oil and gas consumption and fears increasing Chinese demand for Russian gas will mean either higher prices or less gas for itself, NG reported.

Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and Gazprom is regulated by the long-term (until 2028) Agreement on Strategic Cooperation in the gas industry, dated 2003, and the Memorandum of Intent on setting up a joint venture between Russia and Tajikistan, dated 2006. Since 2006 Gazprom has been engaged in the activities aimed at starting geological exploration in Tajikistan. Identification of commercially attractive hydrocarbon fields will enable to create a resource base for the joint venture in the medium term.

In 2008 Gazprom and the Government of Tajikistan signed the Agreement on the general principles of geological survey at oil and gas prospects in the Republic of Tajikistan (Rengan, Sargazon, Sarykamysh, Western Shaambary). 3D seismic surveying and preparatory operations began for constructing deep prospecting wells at Sargazon and Sarykamysh.