Gas production in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan up in 2012: BP report
By Aynur Jafarova
Oil production in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan decreased while gas production in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan increased last year, according to British energy giant BP's Statistical Review of World Energy 2012.
Oil production in Kazakhstan decreased by 1.6 percent to 1.728 million barrels per day in 2012, the report says.
The figure stood at 1.758 million barrels per day in 2011.
Kazakhstan's share in global oil production was 2 percent in 2012.
According to BP estimates, oil consumption in Kazakhstan increased by 10.2 percent to 265,000 barrels per day in 2012.
BP retained stable its estimation on the country's proven oil reserves at 30 billion barrels, which makes up 1.8 percent of the world's proven oil reserves.
Kazakhstan's largest hydrocarbon fields are Kashagan, Tengiz and Karachaganak.
Recoverable oil reserves of Kashagan are estimated at 11 billion barrels, whereas total geological raw material reserves stand at 35 billion barrels. It is believed to be the largest oil field in the world after Prudo Bay in Alaska. Also, its natural gas reserves are estimated at over 1 trillion cubic meters.
The commencement of commercial production at Kashagan is expected by mid-2013. The first phase of the project envisions production of around 370,000 barrels of oil per day with a possible increase to 450,000 barrels. The second phase envisages increasing production to 375,000 barrels per day within at least three years.
The Tengiz oil field was discovered in 1979 and is one of the deepest and largest oil fields in the world. Reserves of the Tengiz field are estimated at 750 million to 1.1 billion tons (6-9 billion barrels) of recoverable oil.
Karachaganak is one of the world's largest fields. Its oil reserves amount to 1.2 billion tons, while those of natural gas - 1.35 trillion cubic meters. 49 percent of Kazakhstan's gas production and 18 percent of oil production comes from this field.
Gas production rises
According to BP's report, gas production in Kazakhstan increased 2 percent to 19.7 billion cubic meters. The figure was 19.3 percent in 2011.
Kazakhstan's share in global gas production made up 0.6 percent in 2012.
According to BP estimates, gas consumption in Kazakhstan increased by 2.6 percent to 9.5 billion cubic meters in 2012.
According to BP, as of Jan.1, 2013, proven gas reserves of Kazakhstan amounted to 1.3 trillion cubic meters, which is unchanged from BP's 2012 estimates.
Turkmenistan gas production up
Last year Turkmenistan produced 64.4 billion cubic meters of gas, which is 7.8 percent more compared to 2011 when gas production made up 59.5 billion cubic meters, BP's report says.
Turkmenistan's share in global gas production was 1.9 percent in 2012. Gas consumption in the country amounted to 23.3 billion cubic meters, which is 7.1 percent less than in 2011.
As of 2012, the proven gas reserves of Turkmenistan amounted to 17.5 trillion cubic meters.
Furthermore, the report says that Turkmenistan produced 222,000 barrels of oil per day. The figure was 217,000 barrels in 2011.
The total volume of oil production in the country in 2012 amounted to 11 million tons, which is 2.5 percent more compared to 2011. Turkmenistan's share in global oil production was 0.3 percent.
According to the BP report, oil consumption in the country in 2012 increased by 3.3 percent - to 100,000 barrels per day.
Uzbekistan's oil production decreases
The report says that in 2012 oil production in Uzbekistan decreased by 12 percent to 3.2 million tons (about 68,000 barrels per day). The figure was 3.6 million tons or 77,000 barrels per day in 2011.
Domestic oil consumption in the country increased 2.1 percent to 3.9 million tons, the report says.
The proven oil reserves of Uzbekistan for 2012 were estimated at 0.1 billion tons (0.6 billion barrels), which corresponds to the results of 2011, the Statistical Review of World Energy 2012 says.
According to the report, the proven reserves of natural gas amounted to 1.1 trillion cubic meters in 2012. Last year Uzbekistan reduced gas production by 0.4 percent compared to 2011.
Last year gas consumption in the country decreased by 2.8 percent to 47.9 billion cubic meters.
The report also says that in 2012 the total consumption of energy in Uzbekistan decreased to 50.5 million tons of fuel.
Uzbekistan is rich in hydrocarbon resources. About 60 percent of the Uzbek territory possesses potential oil and gas reserves. Uzbekistan is ranked third among the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and fifteenth in the world in terms of annual gas production.
The projected reserves of hydrocarbons are about 10 billion tons of standard fuel, while prospective ones amount to about 2 billion tons.
Currently, there are five oil and gas regions in Uzbekistan - Ustyurt, Bukhara-Khiva, Surkhandarya, Hissar and Fergana - and three promising ones (Khorezm, Middle Syr Darya and Zarafshan).
211 hydrocarbon fields have been discovered in oil and gas-rich regions of the country, 108 of which are gas and gas condensate fields while 103 are oil and gas, oil-gas condensate and oil fields. More than 50 percent of the fields are under development while 35 percent are ready for exploration. Exploration work is underway at the rest of the deposits.