Turkmenistan to launch its largest gas field in mid-2013
By Aynur Jafarova
Energy-rich Turkmenistan plans to commission the country's largest gas field, Galkynysh, in the summer of 2013.
The country expects to commission the first refinery on removal of sulfur from natural gas at Galkynysh, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said at an oil and gas road-show held in Dubai, UAE on March 13-14.
Berdymukhamedov said that the innovations introduced in the oil and gas industry, the existing and newly discovered large hydrocarbon fields and high-level work conducted for the industrial development of Galkynysh increase the capacity of the country's fuel and energy complex.
Turkmenistan is one of the key players in the energy market in the resource-rich Caspian region. Each year it exports raw materials to Russia and Iran. In 2009 a route to China was opened. The Central Asian state has the world's fourth largest natural gas reserves.
The largest gas resources in the country are concentrated in the Mary region in eastern Turkmenistan, including Galkynysh field.
In November 2012, Turkmengas state concern reported that capacities will be created on the Galkynysh field in 2013 to produce 30 billion cubic meters of tank gas a year. The exploitation wells will be drilled under the project during the first phase of developing this field. The second phase of the Galkynysh field's development will also start in 2013.
Local media earlier reported with reference to Gaffney, Cline & Associates (UK) that Galkynysh is the second largest fossil fuels field in the world with reserves of 26.2 trillion cubic meters.
In December 2009, Turkmengas signed contracts on service conditions for the implementation of a range of operations with companies such as CNPC Chuanging Drilling Engineering Company (PRC), LG International Corp and Hyundai Engineering (South Korea), Petrofac International (UAE) and another UAE-based company, Gulf Oil & Gas Fze.
CNPC is involved in the production of 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year and in particular the drilling of wells, construction of installations for initial gas purification, gas refineries, etc. The drilling of 22 wells with average depth of 4,680 meters is expected.
LG International Corp and Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd are building a complex for the purification of tank gas from sulfur with annual capacity of 10 billion cubic meters.
Petrofac International LLC, along with constructing a complex for the purification of tank gas from sulfur with capacity of 10 billion cubic meters, is building ground production facilities designed for obtaining 20 billion cubic meters of tank gas per year, as well as a 98 km pipeline and special collectors.
Gulf Oil & Gas FZE is working on the construction of underground facilities for the production of 20 billion cubic meters of tank gas per year.