DUSHANBE, July 7, 2015, Asia-Plus -- In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Murod Jumazoda, the head of the Main Geology Directorate under the Government of Tajikistan, noted on July 7 that they are concerned over a slow pace of hydrocarbon exploration carried out by foreign companies in the south of the country.

According to him, such a slow pace of exploration operations is unacceptable.

Tajik chief geologist noted that Tethys Petroleum Limited (Tethys) has been carrying out exploration operations in southern Tajikistan for almost ten years and general contractor for the geophysical survey has been changed several times over that period.

Jumazoda said that Tethys has been working in that region of Tajikistan jointly with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and French multinational oil and gas company, Total S.A. (Total).  “Tethys has probably been faced with problems on financing this project, and therefore, has decided to invite these two internationally known companies,” he noted.

“It is now difficult for us to say whether we will ever get any results in this region,” Jumazoda said.

He further stressed that the mentioned companies had been granted license for carrying out exploration operations in 28 fields in the south of the country for period until 2033.

We will recall that Kulob Petroleum Limited, a Tajikistan-based wholly-owned subsidiary of Tethys, signed a farm-out agreement (FOA) for the Bokhtar Production Sharing Contract (PSC) in Tajikistan with subsidiaries of Total S.A. (Total) and the China National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Corporation (CNODC).

Singed in 2008, the 25-year Bokhtar PSC reportedly covers a total area of approximately 35,000 square kilometers in the Afghan Tajik portion of the prolific Amu Darya basin west of the Pamir mountains.  The area included in the PSC is in the south-western part of Tajikistan and is a large, highly prospective region which has existing oil and gas discoveries but which has seen limited exploration to date.

According to Tethys, an independent Resource Report (dated June 30, 2012) estimates Gross unrisked mean recoverable resources of 27.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent, consisting of 3.22 trillion cubic meters of gas and 8.5 billion barrels of oil.