Otto Waterlander on the gas prospects in the carbonates of the Yablunivske field

"The hard work of the Exploration and Production Division of Naftogaz in recent years now shows a new gas potential of the Yablunivske field, namely well No. 336. Our team successfully recovered the formation of this geological carbonate layer at a depth of approximately 4.5-5 km and confirmed the expectations of our experts – the gas presence in the carbonate layer in the Donets and Dnieper basins!" Otto Waterlander, Chief Executive Officer of the Naftogaz Group, said on his page.

"The carbonate layer is a new exciting game, as its thickness is 200 meters, and its length is several kilometres. It may contain a large amount of gas. To test how much gas can be produced from this new type of reservoir, we approved an investment in well No. 10 at the Yablunivske field for September to further develop the carbonate layer and verify the gas saturation of this geological formation. We will inform the results in October," Waterlander added. He also noted that the prospects of this layer are relevant for three reasons:

• This may prove to be a new geological priority for Ukraine, and become an excellent target in the production of unconventional gas for the Company, comparable to the targets in Argentina and the United States.
• If these layers prove rich in gas, it is likely to add large new gas reserves to the country's potential, given the thickness of the rock.
• Third, perhaps most interestingly, development for production can be relatively fast and give new volumes within 1-2 years, instead of the usual 4-5 years that we budget for development at sea and Yuzivska area.