Russian Gazprom company prospecting the Kirinsky deposit on the Sakhalin-3 project will increase the deposit reserves. "After last year's exploration works on the Kirinsky field, Gazprom has increased gas reserves to 100 billion cubic meters from 75 billion cubic meters," RIA Novosti quoted Alexander Ananenkov, the company's Deputy Chairman as saying.
The Kirinsky gas-condensate field is located in the Kirinsky block of the Sakhalin-3 project on the shelf of the Okhotskoe Sea. The Kirinsky field will supply gas to the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok gas transportation system project.
"We are continuing geologic exploration. A few days ago we drilled a new borehole. I will not mention the figure, but I suppose that the reserves of this deposit will be increased. I believe the opportunities of gas production there will be larger than we have expected," Ananenkov told reporters.
Ananenkov also said Gazprom had started exploration drilling on the South Kirinsky part of the Kirinsky block. He said the results of the exploration would be announced in a month and did not rule out the discovery of a new gas deposit.
Gazprom plans to start production and transportation at the Kirinsky field at the end of 2011.