TMK drills final Mongolian pilot gas hole amid partnership talks
Management has been encouraged by the response from potential project partners during a recent visit to Mongolia and China and will turn its focus to firming up new players as it executes its drilling schedule at Gurvantes XXXV.
The company has now finalised a drilling contract with specialists Major Drilling for an additional pilot production well at its Nariin Sukhait LF-07 site in Mongolia, after flagging the end of tendering earlier this month.
TMK expects to sign the drilling contract after a final review by the regulator, which is expected shortly. The company finished its final preparations for LF-07 in June and has spudding slated for the second half of July.
It says all its long lead-time items necessary for drilling are onsite and the company has completed drill pad preparation, sumps and other associated site works.
'With the timing of LF-07 drilling now locked in, our focus will turn to introducing project partners to the Gurvantes XXXV project.'
TMK Energy chief executive officer Dougal Ferguson
In an independent review delivered to TMK in July, technical consultant Dr Tim Moore of Cipher Consulting, recommended production should continue from a series of pilot wells at TMK's flagship Gurvantes XXXV project.
Moore said that while a significant gas breakthrough is still awaited from the pilot wells, a slower-than-expected first gas flow is not uncommon in the initial development of greenfield coal seam gas plays, such as the Nariin Sukhait well.
The independent experts agreed that a further well for the pilot project - and its planned placement - are appropriate and that the program meets the company's 2025 pilot well drilling commitment for its Gurvantes XXXV licence.
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