The wilderness lies still, with a thousand year old energy code surging underground. When the Gobi Desert in Central Asia welcomes the roar of drilling rigs from the east, a deep cooperation that reaches the center of the earth quietly unfolds. Technology transcends mountains and seas, resources belong to the local area, and a new win-win path of technology for resources is firmly laid on the Ustyurt Plateau.

Accelerate project progress and tackle challenges

Uzbekistan National Oil and Gas Company and China Petroleum Western Drilling Company have joined hands to carry out a local drilling project, planning to drill 30 deep exploration wells in the Ustyurt area. Both parties recently held a project promotion meeting, focusing on finalizing the accelerated construction plan and coordinating the timely entry and operation of 9 modern drilling rigs.

According to the official statement of the Ukrainian side, the first exploration well is scheduled to start drilling in the Kiziljar oilfield on July 25, 2026, and all drilling operations are expected to be fully launched before August 15, 2026. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian side made a request during the meeting, hoping that the Chinese side could optimize the construction plan, compress the overall drilling cycle by 50 days, and mobilize all high-quality resources to ensure the implementation of the project. At the same time, both parties discussed the feasibility of adding new exploration wells in the Ustyurt Plateau and conducted in-depth exchanges on technical and overall support issues for the subsequent expansion of the project.

Steady implementation of cooperation planning

The contract for this oil and gas drilling project was officially signed in March this year, specifying the cooperation to complete the drilling of 30 exploration wells from 2026 to 2027. The Chinese side will deploy 10 450 ton large-scale drilling rigs to the construction site. The drilling work of these 30 wells is the first phase of the strategic cooperation between the two parties. The Ukrainian side has put forward long-term cooperation intentions in advance, planning to cooperate with the Chinese side to drill a total of 105 wells from 2026 to 2029, and continue to deepen cooperation in the field of oil and gas exploration. Keywords: Uzbekistan, China Uzbekistan cooperation, oil and gas drilling, exploration and development

The advantages of the cooperation model are highlighted

This project adopts the internationally recognized EPC service cooperation model, with the Chinese side providing advanced drilling technology and a professional construction team, fully responsible for the implementation of drilling operations. The right to use underground resources obtained from project exploration, completed drilling facilities, and proven oil and gas reserves all belong to Uzbekistan National Oil and Gas Company. Wu Fang stated that relying on advanced Chinese technology, the project can effectively accelerate the exploration progress of new oil and gas reserves and improve the overall efficiency of geological exploration. The implementation of this project will solidify Uzbekistan's oil and gas resources reserves, deepen practical cooperation in the energy field between China and Uzbekistan, and promote bilateral energy cooperation to a deeper level.Editor/Gong Ziwei