Naftogaz starts drilling new gas well in Kherson region

National Joint-Stock Company Naftogaz of Ukraine has begun drilling a new well at the Strilkove field in the country's southern Kherson region, says head of Naftogaz Board Andriy Kobolyev.

The design daily flow rate at the Strilkove field is 40,000 cubic meters, Kobolyev wrote in a Facebook post.

"This is a special project for Naftogaz – gas produced is intended for ensuring uninterrupted supplies to Henichesk and Henichesk district, the areas that are not connected to the main GTS," he wrote.

Increasing production at the Strilkove field is the most promising option in this regard, the head of board noted.

"Also, it's a logical step for Naftogaz. Especially compared with the option of building a separate trunk gas pipeline at the expense of Naftogaz," he wrote.

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Kobolyev says the drilling is being done by the team of the Technical Division with the support of Weatherford (USA), which provides geophysics assistance.

"The task for our drillers for the next two months is to reach gas deposits and fully cover the needs of Genichesk by the start of the 2020-2021 heating season.

“The Strilkove field is a long-suffering asset of our Group. From 2014 to 2017, the field was operated in unfavorable conditions of joint activities with the notorious Plast Company," Kobolyev wrote.

As UNIAN reported earlier, in October 2018, the Economic Court of Kyiv invalidated the contract between Chornomornaftogaz and Plast, which is affiliated with the fugitive former MP Oleksandr Onyshchenko, and ordered to collect more than UAH 18 million in favor of the state.

Chornomornaftogaz is part of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, specializing in the exploration and production of oil and gas in the Black and Azov Seas.

Chornomornaftogaz has on its balance 17 fields, of which 11 are gas fields, four gas condensate fields, and two oil fields. Total reserves of natural gas stand at 58.56 billion cubic meters; gas condensate – at 1.231 million tonnes, and oil – at 2.53 million tonnes.