Tethys discovers gas at AKK17 well in Kazakhstan

Oil and gas exploration and production company Tethys Petroleum has announced that the first shallow gas exploration well of its 2014 programme, AKK17 in Kazakhstan, has been successful in discovering gas.

Data analysis revealed that the well is similar to the AKK15 well, which tested gas at a stable rate of about seven million cubic feet a day, and appears likely to test at a comparable rate.

Drilled to a depth of 653m around 2.2km north-east of the AKK15 well, AKK17 encountered a 4m interval of gas-bearing Tasaran sand with an average porosity of 31%.

The well will be flowed as part of a testing programme, which will be carried out after the drilling of further wells.

According to the company, the drilling rig has now been mobilised to the second shallow gas exploration well location, AKK18, with drilling expected to commence soon.

The shallow gas programme now includes the drilling of up to ten new exploration wells, based on the latest seismic data.

The programme also includes workovers and tie-ins, and targets a three-fold increase in gas production by the beginning of 2015.

Production is around 9.2 million cubic feet a day at present.

Tethys Petroleum chief operating officer Graham Wall said that the success shows that the company’s geological model and geophysical interpretation of the sandstones is robust.

"This well will contribute significantly to our planned increased gas production and we are pushing forward with the rest of the programme," Wall added.