By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 5 -- An obscure Russian independent operator has discovered a supergiant gas field in southernmost Eastern Siberia's Irkutsk region, Russian press reports said.
Petromir, Moscow, estimated that the field on the Angaro-Lenskoye exploration license has an estimated 42 tcf of recoverable gas and extends to within 100 km of supergiant Kovykta gas-condensate field.
The discovery's areal extent is so large that it is estimated to lie beyond the boundaries of Petromir's three licenses: Levoberezhnoye, Pravoberezhnoye, and Angaro-Lenskoye. An auction for a production license on Angaro-Lenskoye would have to be organized.
Kovykta gas field, discovered in 1987, is 450 km north-northeast of Irkutsk between Bratsk and the northern end of Lake Baikal. Full development awaits approval of a gas pipeline to northeastern China.
The reports said Petromir has tried to interest OAO Gazprom in its discovery, but that drilling so far has proved only 53 bcf of reserves. The number and distribution of wells drilled and subsurface details on the Angaro-Lenskoye find were not immediately available.
TNK-BP's OAO Rusia Petroleum subsidiary that operates Kovykta has been trying to attract Gazprom to join that project.
TNK-BP estimated Kovykta as having 50-67 tcf of gas and 500-700 million bbl of condensate in place. It is one of Russia's largest gas fields.
TNK-BP let a contract in early 2006 for construction of a 645-km pipeline extending from Kovykta processing facilities to the city of Irkutsk (OGJ, Jan. 23, 2006, p. 33).
In mid-January, East Siberia Gas Co. said it plans to place in service a 112-km pipeline from Kovykta to Zhigalovo, the nearest settlement, in September.
Meanwhile, East Siberia Gas, a combine of TNK-BP and the Irkutsk Region Administration, plans to complete the 645-km Kovykta-Sayansk-Irkutsk gas line in mid-2008.
