Gazprom strikes gas: Venezuelan oil and energy minister Rafael Ramirez
Gazprom strikes gas off Venezuela
Russian energy giant Gazprom discovered “a big accumulation” of natural gas off of Venezuela’s northwest coast, marking what may be the second major find in the area in two months, the country’s oil and energy minister said.
Gazprom was “authorised under their licence to drill another well and this has confirmed a big accumulation of gas,” Minister Rafael Ramirez told reporters today in the Venezuelan city of Porlamar.
Venezuela is seeking to boost output of the fuel to overcome a domestic supply deficit, bolster chemicals production and reduce consumption of exportable fuels such as diesel, Bloomberg reported.
The country is waiting for results from drilling by Inpex Corporation and additional tests to decide how to develop the gas reserves, Ramirez said.
The priority will be domestic use, including chemicals and power plants, though output from the fields may also be exported through an existing pipeline that crosses into Colombia, he said.
Madrid-based Repsol YPF said in September it discovered as much as 8 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Cardon IV offshore field.
Gazprom’s drilling has “similar prospects” to Repsol, Ramirez said.
Venezuela plans to explore for light oil near the mouth of Lake Maracaibo, Ramirez said.