Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9
By Emil Ismayilov - Trend:
In the near future the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) will complete the drilling of a second appraisal well as part of the creation of underground gas storage in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a source in SOCAR told Trend on Dec. 9.
Drilling of appraisal wells on the basis of Nehram salt deposits is conducted at the Tumbul site.
The source said that currently the second appraisal well's depth is 657 meters. Its projected depth stands at 820 meters.
"The second well is being drilled at the moment. In total it is planned to drill five such wells," the source said.
Earlier SOCAR completed drilling of the first appraisal well. Its depth exceeded 1200 meters.
Currently, Azerbaijan is carrying out swap deliveries of gas to Iran in order to provide Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with gas. It was decided to create underground gas storage on the salt deposit's base to secure the sustainability of gas supplies to Nakhchivan Autonomus Republic. The underground gas storage with 200-300 million cubic meters of capacity will be enough for meeting the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic's needs.
Earlier SOCAR First Vice-President Khoshbakht Yusifzade said that, according to initial reports the depth of the salt here is 52 meters, while 40 meters thickness of bedding is appropriate for the creation of underground gas storage.
After the completion of drilling of the first well, another three to four wells will be drilled in order to define the volumes of the gas storage. Currently two underground gas storage facilities - Kalmaz and Garadagh are operating in Azerbaijan.
Translated by E.A
