KazMunayGas has started drilling at the Zhenis offshore block in the Caspian.
“We started drilling, drilling is going on, we started it at the end of last year,” Magzum Mirzagaliyev, head of KazMunayGas, told Interfax-Kazakhstan.
According to him, drilling began at the time that was planned.
Earlier it was reported that drilling on the Zhenis project was to begin on December 15.
The Zhenis structure is located on the site of the same name, which is located in the southern part of the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea. The design depth of the well is 3300 m. The water depth in the drilling area is about 98 m. The nearest distance to the shore is 50 km. The seaports of Kuryk, Aktau and Bautino are located at a distance of 117 km, 180 km and 315 km, respectively, to the north of the center of the structure. On land, the nearest settlements are the urban-type settlement Kuryk (117 km to the east) and the regional center – the city of Aktau (180 km to the north). The site boundary is located in close proximity to the state border between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
The project operator Zhenis Operating LLP is a joint venture between KazMunayGas (50%) and LUKOIL (50%). The contract for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons was signed on April 1, 2019. The minimum obligation is to drill one exploratory well and conduct 3D seismic surveys, for which it is planned to allocate about $60 million. The first well was planned to be drilled using the Azerbaijani Dada Gorgud semi-submersible drilling rig. The second stage of work is estimated at $210 million.
Source
by 
