The Akkulka Block surrounds the Kyzyloi Block and offers both shallow gas potential, which will be developed with the Kyzyloi Field, and also deeper oil and gas potential which offers large upside potential, with plans to test this in the near future.
Shallow Gas Development
The Akkulka area has had a history of regional shallow gas exploration, mainly in the 1960s, with regional gravity, magnetic and seismic surveys and shallow stratigraphic wells. This work identified the Bozoi gas fields (currently the Bozoi underground gas storage (“UGS”) facility), the Kyzyloi Field and the North Kyzyloi Field. Some deep wells during this period located along the main Akkulka High indicated the presence of reservoir rock and potential hydrocarbons in the upper Mesozoic.
Recoverable net proved plus probable gas reserves within the Akkulka Exploration Licence and Contract area is estimated by the McDaniel Reserve Report at 14.45 Bcf (0.41 Bcm) based upon drilling and testing.
Akkulka well successes to date are as follows:
• The AKK04 well, tested dry gas at maximum rate of 8.80 MMcf/d (250 Mcm/d) discovering a new gas deposit (now named Central Akkulka) located some 12.5 miles (20 km) east of the Kyzyloi Field; and
• The AKK05 well (now named North–East Kyzyloi) tested dry gas at a maximum rate of 7.9 MMcf/d (224 Mcm/d) per day of dry gas. The AKK05 accumulation is located some 4 miles (6.5 km) north of the Kyzyloi Field. The well is now preserved for future tie–in to the greater Kyzyloi development.
• The AKK08 well tested at a gas production rate of 2.6 Mmscf/d (74 Mcm/d) having been recorded on a 40/64 inch (16 mm) choke with a flowing tubing head pressure of 296 psig (20 atm). The sand thickness and quality appears consistent with expectations in the northern part of the Akkulka block where the sands are thinner than over the Kyzyloi field itself.
• The Akkulka AKK09 exploration well tested dry gas at a rate of 6.7Mmscf/d (190 thousand cubic metres per day (Mcm/d)), on a restricted 50/64 inch (20mm) choke with a flowing tubing head pressure of 527 psig (35.9 atmospheres) from a 26 feet (8 metre) interval, at a depth of some 1,706 feet (520 metres) BKB, 1,132 feet (345 metres) TVDss. The well has been tested at higher rates on larger choke sizes, but problems with the measuring equipment make these data difficult to verify. No reservoir depletion was shown on the test, which confirms the high quality of the shallow gas sands in this area.