TPAO said that the discovered prospect potentially holds 11 trillion cubic feet of gas
TPAO building in Ankara. (Credit: MirkoS18/Wikipedia.org)
Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO) has announced the first-ever gas discovery in Turkish ultra-deep waters following the drilling of the Tuna-1 well in the Sakarya Block in Western Black Sea.
The Turkish national oil and gas company said that the Tuna-1 well was drilled to a total depth of 4,525m when it had intersected more than 100m of the natural gas-bearing reservoir in Pliocene and Miocene sands. The ultra-deepwater exploration well was drilled by the Fatih drillship in a water depth of 2,115m.
The sixth-generation drillship was acquired by the company in 2018.
The Turkish state-owned firm said that the discovered prospect potentially holds 11 trillion cubic feet of gas, which is equivalent to nearly two billion barrels of recoverable oil, based on the detailed data collected from the Tuna-1 well and geophysical studies.
It claimed that the prospect marks the largest discovery in the Turkish Exclusive Economic Zone and also in the entire Black Sea.
The Turkish firm further said that the new gas discovery with a potential of 320 billion cubic meters of lean gas, will give a significant boost to the economic growth of Turkey by supplying the commodity for many years to come.
The Sakarya Block (AR/TPO/KD/C26-C27-D26-D27), which is fully owned by the company, is located 175km off the coast of Ereğli, Turkey. The offshore block spans 7,000km².
TPAO CEO comments on the Turkish gas discovery
TPAO chairman and CEO Melih Han Bilgin said: “TPAO will immediately start acquiring 3D seismic in the entire license and appraise the field extensively to produce first gas by 2023.
“This exploration success confirms the outstanding capabilities of TPAO and hence Turkish geoscientists and engineers in all involved units for generating and evaluating ultra-deepwater prospects, utilising state-of-the-art technology.
“Indeed, there is still an expectation of additional potential at the deeper section of the well, as well as the unexplored surrounding part of the Block. Therefore, this day will mark a new beginning for TPAO and Turkey.’’