The commercial gas and gas condensate discharge with the daily flow of over 200,000 cubic metres was received when testing in exploratory well 1 in Southern Gutlyayak area in the Central Karakum, about 110 kilometers northwest to Ashgabat. The production horizon was drilled at the depth of 4,040-4,060 metres.

Discovery of a hydrocarbon pool in the Kopetdag lowalnd considerably enhances the potential of the Central Karakum, and in particular the Kopetdag lowland. According to specialists, such a successful starts of the prospecting works gives every reason to say that Southern Gutlyayak is a quite large gas condensate deposit. This fact is proved by the data of the geophysical research carried out by the Turkmengeologiya State Concern in Kyrk-Gozli oil-and-gas-bearing area with the prospective field that enabled to select a drill site for the first well turned to be producing. At present, the research is carried on in the area to specify the geological feature of the area, to assess the potential hydrocarbon reserves and define the trends of further prospecting.

As is known the strategy of developing Turkmenistan’s fuel and energy sector stipulating for the considerable increase of hydrocarbon production, processing and export in the next ten years is based on the huge explored and prospected hydrocarbon resources in the country. To date, over a thousand of oil-and-gas-bearing areas have been discovered, over 150 deposits have been explored, of 50 are developed in the territory of Turkmenistan, both on and off shore.

To accelerate commercial development of deposit and to ensure the further increase of oil and gas reserves the oil and gas enterprises steadily extend the geophysical research and prospect drilling. Advanced technologies and techniques applied by the sector enabled to achieve operating efficiency and expand the range of the works through drilling deep and ultradeep wells as well.