More than 1.3 million cubic meters of commercial natural gas and about 130 tons of gas condensate per day have been produced from the A8 production well at the Magtymguly gas field in Turkmenistan’s sector of the Caspian Sea, Turkmen state media reported on Monday.

The A8 production well was drilled to a depth of 4,981 meters in the Toplum-1 contract area. Initial well development is underway with production volumes expected to increase as operations continue.

The work is being carried out under a production-sharing agreement between Malaysian company PETRONAS Çarigali and the state concern Turkmennebit. Turkmenistan has emphasized international cooperation in developing licensed offshore blocks in its Caspian Sea sector.

Over the past 30 years, five modern platforms have been built and about 40 exploration, appraisal and production wells drilled in Turkmenistan’s Caspian sector and coastal zone. Joint operations have resulted in the production of more than 44 billion cubic meters of gas and 16 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons.

The next stage of cooperation includes developing offshore blocks 19 and 20 and conducting 2D seismic surveys on blocks 11, 12, 13 and 14.