Turkey’s oil and gas company TPAO has successfully completed the first flow test of the Türkali-2 appraisal well in the Sakarya gas field located in the Black Sea.

TPAO said on Wednesday it had performed the first flow test of Türkali-2 appraisal well (completed with gravel pack) in the Sakarya gas field, ultra-deep offshore, in the Western Black Sea.

The first reservoir section delivered up to 0.75 mmscmd (26.5 mmscfd) sustainable rate with limited drawdown. Analysis proved a production capacity of 1.2 mmscmd (42.5 mmscfd, about 7,300 hoed) with excellent well deliverability and reservoir connectivity. Two more reservoir sections are to be tested in the well during ongoing operations, TPAO said.

Data and samples acquired from the flow test will be used to further optimize the field development work and to refine the front-end engineering and design (FEED), which will be concluded shortly after the well tests. The first gas is expected to reach the Filyos gas processing terminal in 2023.

Melih Han Bilgin, TPAO’s Chairman and CEO, said: “This is a milestone for Turkey. The flow rates, indicating commercially viable gas in the Sakarya Basin, imply new opportunities for TPAO. Recently we concluded another 3D seismic acquisition spanning 11,000 km2. Sakarya Project Team is working around the clock both to develop the field and to generate new prospects following Amasra-1 discovery”.

To remind, TPAO revealed it had discovered 135 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in the Amasra-1 well in the North Sakarya field located in June 2021.

Türkali-2 ultra-deep offshore appraisal well has been drilled to a total depth of 3,950 meters in 2,154 meters water depth where 39 meters of gas-bearing sands were perforated. It is the third well drilled in the Sakarya with Fatih drillship.

TPAO said that well flow tests in the field are being conducted by TPAO’s third drillship Kanuni which joined the fleet in 2020.

The flow test provides data on the flow rate and the pressure of the natural gas to be extracted from the discovered reservoirs, based upon which the economic production potential is calculated.

So far, TPAO has discovered a total of 540 bcm gas in the Western Black Sea ultra-deep offshore. Sakarya gas field development project comprises a subsea gas production system, a receiving and processing terminal on the Filyos shore and pipelines to connect them.