Kazakhstan plans to launch state program for elimination of deserted oil wells

The Ministry of Industry of New Technologies has been working on the program for liquidation of the self-effusing and flooded wells.

The program envisages elimination and close-down of the gas wells in the regions flooded by the Caspian Sea as well as the onshore wells in emergency state. All the regions will be checked for availability of self-effusing, neglected and emergency wells.

The work has started after the expanded government session on October 11, where the issue has been brought up by Baktykozha Izmuhambetov, head of the Atyrau district. President has instructed to study the problem and solve the problem of the deserted wells in the western regions. 

The wells, which turned out to be unpromising, or ran out of oil, are scattered all over the Caspian Sea coast. They were drilled in the early 1960s, 1970s and later onshore. They did not raise any concerns, because each well has its own owner. But in the 1990s majority of the oil companies were closed.

In the early 1990s level of the Caspian Sea has risen and part of the wells turned out to be under water or even flooded. In 2004 the Kazakhstan government passed the state program to eliminate dangerous wells and the government allocated 3 billion tenge for this purpose. Kazakhstan lacked the agency, which could be in charge of this difficult task. During five years 47 oil wells and 42 self-effusing hydro geological wells have been eliminated. 

According to the Committee for Geology and Use of Natural Resources of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, 1400 wells are located in the flood and near-flood zone, including 148 ones under water. But the figures vary. Part of the specialists say that number of such wells reaches 2,000.

“Only this year two old onshore wells started flowing polluting Kurmangazi and Isatay regions. Prosecutor’s Office has recently checked 148 wells, of which 38 ones had the signs of oil spills. The oil polluted area totaled 3600 sq.m.,” said Izmuhambetov.—