№ 5 (49), 2011 - KazEnergy

NAnalyticalService,Agency forResearchon Return onInvestmentsatural gas has become themore promising energy-carrierfor Kazakhstan; the exploredand valued reservesof natural gas (with the accountof newly discovereddeposits on the Caspianshelf) make up to 3.9 trillioncubic meters, and its potentialresources reach 6-8 trillioncubic meters.The peculiarity of the gasreserves discovered is thatnatural gas is producedalong with crude oil andcondensate on all deposits almost and, especially,on the newly developed large deposits.Therefore, active development of thesedeposits and sharp increase in oil productionin the recent years require utilizationof the growing volumes of the associated gasproduced.The approximate allocation of total gas reservesof 3.9 trillion cubic meters is as follows:34.5% are the Kashagan associatedgas, 23.2% are Karachaganak gas and 17.3%are Tengiz gas, the remaining part is sharedbetween smaller deposits. According to BPStatistical Review, Kazakhstan possessessignificant gas resources with proven reservesof 1.82 trillion cubic meters, whichare close to Iraq and Uzbekistan indications.Reserves and production ratios are high aswell, which are 69.8 years.The newly discovered gas deposits are currentlyrelated to new oil deposits in theCaspian Sea shelf. In addition to the shelf,there are perspective areas in the Aral Sea.Thus, the real situation on the gas reservesis unclear so far, and may require 10 to 20years to be clarified, considering technologicaldevelopment of exploration, utilization,processing, extraction increase and productionof new gas types.Production of Natural Gas. Among primaryenergy-carrying resources, the consumptionof natural gas in Kazakhstan takes 12%only. The current natural gas production islow. According to the forecasts of the Ministryof Oil and Gas of RK, in 2010 gas productionreached 37.4 billion cubic meters.Taking into account the national gas reservesand significant economical and ecologicaleffect of this fuel consumption, suchsituation cannot be considered as acceptable.Therefore Kazakhstan purposes to accordspecial priority to the national gas industrydevelopment.However, the main part of the gas reservesdeveloped is concentrated in oil and gascondensate deposits, which constraints thegas resources deployment. Gas is producedsimultaneously with crude and condensate.About twenty deposits contain non-associatedgas. This is why up to recent time gasproduction was a part of the oil producingcompanies’ activity.Another limiting factor is the complexity ofthe gas resources extraction.Almost all forecasted resources locate in thesubsalt layers of the Pre-Caspian Lowlandand are characterized with the complexity ofthe extraction due to deep water, multiplecomponents and high concentration of sulfuriccompounds. At the same time, depositswith shallow depth and free of sulfuriccompounds have moderate gas reserves withhigh local importance to gasify restricted areas.Herewith, the long-term Development Strategyuntil 2030, the Development Concept ofthe Gas Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstanuntil 2015 provide for quality changesin a slant on the questions regarding theconsumption of the national gas resourcesavailable.After the issues solved on the associated gasutilization as a limiting factor of the crudeproduction growth, the sector of gas production,processing and marketing shall becomethe primary industry of the national economydevelopment.In the future, Kazakhstan expects to jointhe states with the world’s largest provennatural gas reserves and to become one ofthe three main producers and exporters ofnatural and liquefied gas on the territory ofCIS. By 2015, gas production is planned toreach 59.3 billion cubic meters against 7.8billion cubic meters produced in 1991.Meanwhile, production of commodity gaswill increase from 21.3 billion cubic metersproduced in 2010 to 25.3 billion cubic metersin 2011 and to 30.7 billion cubic meters in2015. Production of liquefied gas is plannedto increase from 2 million 245 thousand in2010 up to 2 million 360 thousand in 2015.KAZENERGY45