Texaco Inc. completed phase two appraisal drilling at giant North Buzachi field in western Kazakhstan, is evaluating full-field development, and plans to boost production to 7,000 b/d by yearend from 4,000 b/d in early July.
North Buzachi is in Mangistau Province in the North Ustyurt basin 100 miles southwest of supergiant Tengiz oil and gas field.
Texaco completed phase two on schedule, said Mark L. Johnson, vice president of Texaco North Buzachi Inc.
"The main objective of phase two was appraisal drilling to confirm the amount of oil in place and the areal extent of the field."
Literature indicates that fields in the area, probably including North Buzachi, contain heavy oil with 1-3% sulfur in multiple Cretaceous and Jurassic pay zones at 3,000 ft or shallower. Texaco did not reveal its findings, if reached, about areal extent or volume of oil in place, but previous reports have put reserves at 650 million bbl (OGJ, Oct. 5, 1998, p. 00).
"Phase two involved evaluating the use of steam stimulation and water injection at the field with knowledge gained from this assessment work being used to increase our understanding of how to best develop the field," Johnson said.
The appraisal program involved 2D and 3D seismic data acquisition and 30 new wells versus four drilled under phase one appraisal.
Texaco will evaluate phase two results and probably decide in first half 2002 whether to proceed with full field development, which could involve as many as 600 wells drilled during 10 years.
The phase two appraisal program created 1,100 local jobs, and a local company, Azimuth, formerly Geotex, conducted the full-scale acquisition of seismic data over a 92 sq km area, Texaco said.
Precision Drilling International, Calgary, drilled the wells on rigs with 80%-Kazakh crews.
North Buzachi crude is being exported to Germany via the Russian pipeline system to the north and across the Caspian Sea to Baku and onward to the Black Sea port of Batumi on the west. A local Kazakh refinery also takes a share.
Field interests are Texaco, operator, 65% and Nimir Petroleum Ltd. of Saudi Arabia 35%.
