Scientists find big Afghan oil resources
John Heilprin
Associated Press
03/14/2006
WASHINGTON -- Two geological basins in northern
Afghanistan hold 18 times the oil and triple the natural gas
resources previously thought, scientists said Tuesday as part
of a U.S. assessment aimed at enticing energy development in
the war-torn country.
Nearly 1.6 billion barrels of oil, mostly in the
Afghan-Tajik Basin, and about 15.7 trillion cubic feet of natural
gas, mainly in the Amu Darya Basin, could be tapped, said the
U.S. Geological Survey and Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines and
Industry.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai described the estimates
as "very positive findings," particularly since the
country now imports most of its energy, including electricity.
"Knowing more about our country's petroleum
resources will enable us to take steps to develop our energy
potential, which is crucial for our country's growth,"
said Karzai, whose government was created after the U.S.-led
invasion in 2001 and later won national elections.
The $2 million assessment, paid for by the independent
U.S. Trade and Development Agency, was nearly four years in
the making, said Daniel Stein, the agency's regional director
for Europe and Eurasia. The total area assessed was only about
one-sixth of the two basins' 200,000 square miles that lie within
Afghanistan.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton, whose agency includes
the U.S. Geological Survey, said the assessment would help Afghanistan
better understand and manage its natural resources.
Afghanistan's petroleum reserves were previously
thought to hold 88 million barrels of oil and 5 trillion cubic
feet of natural gas, based on Afghan and Soviet estimates for
15 oil and gas fields opened between 1957 and 1984. But just
three of those have operated recently.
"There is a significant amount of undiscovered
oil in northern Afghanistan," said Patrick Leahy, the U.S.
Geological Survey's acting director. He said the other oil fields
were abandoned, or the equipment there is damaged and rocks
have filled the wells.
More work remains to assess petroleum reserves,
conduct seismic exploration and rehabilitate wells, say government
and industry officials.
Companies could drill relatively quickly, potentially bringing
in billions of dollars in revenue to the transitional government,
said H.E. Said Tayeb Jawad, Afghanistan's ambassador to the
United States.
"Within two to three years, the prospects
are there for companies to start exploring oil and gas. The
legal infrastructure is in place for the companies to come in,"
Jawad said in an interview.
"As far as security, they may have to take
some additional precautions. But the country is much safer than
what's perceived in the media," he said. "But of course
we are fighting terrorism, it's a phenomenon, it's a danger,
but it's not limited to one country."
The danger comes with the territory, said Barry
Gale, a private energy consultant and former director of the
Energy Department's international science and technology office.
"This is a pretty risky investment,"
he said. "But there's ferocious competition out there among
multinationals just to get a foot in the door, even if it's
a scary door."
Karzai is struggling to deal with an upsurge in
violence and suicide bombings in recent months, though Bush
administration officials have praised the progress Afghanistan
has made since a U.S.-led coalition toppled the hard-line Taliban
regime in 2001. The United States plans to give $1.1 billion
in aid next year to the nation where Osama bin Laden once trained
terrorists and plotted the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
