LUKoil produces first gas in Uzbek gissar field

Russia's largest private oil company LUKoil accoplished its first gas production at the Dzharkuduk-Yangi Kyzylcha field, the largest deposit in Uzbekistan's South West Gissar block, the company said late on Thursday. LUKoil plans to produce 1.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year at Dzharkuduk at an initial stage under a production sharing agreement with Uzbekistan. The company will also invest over $1.2 billion to build an infrastructure at Dzharkuduk and launch gas production at the large Adamtash and Gumbulak fields. Gas production at Dzharkuduk is to reach 16 million cu m per day or 5.8 billion cu m per year, the Russian oil company said in its statement. LUKoil is also developing the South Kyzylbairak and Koshkuduk oil fields in South West Gissar. According to preliminary information, production at the two deposits will amount to 90,000 tons of oil in 2011. Proven reserves of the South West Gissar block amounted to 1.417 billion cubic feet of gas and 23 million barrels of oil and oil condensate as of January 1, 2011.