Tethys has provided an update on its operations in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.

In Tajikistan, work has been focused on meeting Tajikistan's short term needs for gas whilst carrying out workovers and re-development activities on existing fields and discoveries. Work is underway on the Komsomolsk gas field close to the capital city of Dushanbe and on the Khoja Sartez gas condensate field north of city of Kulob in the Khatlon region.

Gas has now been successfully tested from the Khoja Sartez 22 well ("KJZ22") at estimated rates (based on wellhead pressures) up to 80,000 m3/d (2.8 million cubic feet per day) on a 12mm (30/64ths of an inch) choke with a flowing tubing head pressure of some 40 atmospheres (588 psig) - these rates are subject to verification when more accurate metering equipment arrives onsite.

The gas bearing interval was identified by the use of modern cased hole wireline logging techniques including the use of a pulsed neutron-neutron ("PNN") log. Arrangements are underway for supply of this gas to the Kulob gas distribution company, for use in the local market in the Kulob area. Test gas has now been successfully flowed to the Kulob gas measurement station and a gas sales contract is being negotiated. The Khoja Sartez gas condensate field is located on the north east flank of one of the several large salt domes in the Kulob area, and Tethys believes that there is further potential both for additional gas production from existing wells, and from deeper, as yet undrilled horizons within the structure, and around other parts of the Khoja Sartez salt dome.

At Komsomolsk work is currently underway on three wells, namely KOM180, KOM183 and KOM007. It was previously announced that gas had been tested from the KOM180 well, at rates of some 10,000 cubic meters per day (353 thousand cubic feet per day). However this gas production brought with it an averaged 180 cubic meters (1,132 barrels) per day of water, believed, from the analysis of the PNN log, to be coming from a deeper water bearing sand interval via a poor cement seal behind the production casing during the original drilling of the well over 40 years ago. A cement squeeze is now underway to attempt to seal off the deeper water bearing interval so that dry gas can be produced at higher rates from the well. In addition work is underway on the KOM183 well to the east, with the aim of perforating and testing gas from previously unproduced zones, and on the KOM007 well located to the south-west of KOM180.

Tags: Tethys Petroleum Limited