ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan – At the 30th Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan International Conference (OGT 2025), experts highlighted the strategic importance of developing the Odjak Field as an underground gas storage (UGS) site to strengthen Turkmenistan’s energy security and global LNG competitiveness.
During the session titled “UGS, LNG, and CO₂ Capture: Strategic Solutions for Turkmenistan’s Energy Transition,” Phil Gibbons, Senior Advisor for Petrophysics at GaffneyCline Energy Advisory, outlined how this initiative could become a foundation of Turkmenistan’s energy resilience strategy.
UGS Development in Line with National Energy Priorities
Transforming the Odjak Field into a UGS facility provides a timely and practical response to Turkmenistan’s seasonal gas balancing requirements while reinforcing overall energy stability.
Situated in the northeast of the country, on the northern edge of the Zaunguz Karakum Desert, the Odjak gas condensate field was first discovered in February 1966 and currently serves domestic energy needs.
Technically, the project carries low development risk. The field’s IIa reservoir features a confirmed trapping structure and a long production record. GaffneyCline’s simulation model—validated against decades of performance data—demonstrates the site’s strong suitability for gas storage.
Model results show that Odjak can accommodate a full seasonal injection and withdrawal cycle, holding around 5 billion cubic meters of working gas. This capacity is supported by 2.6 billion cubic meters of residual cushion gas already in place, with plans to inject an additional 4.4 billion cubic meters to complete the system.
Strategic Benefits of the Odjak UGS Initiative
The proposed storage facility directly supports several of Turkmenistan’s energy objectives:
• Stabilizing Domestic and Export Supply: The system enables gas injection over six months and withdrawal over three, helping balance seasonal consumption and reducing export disruptions during peak winter demand.
• Faster Implementation: Repurposing an existing depleted field is far quicker than establishing new aquifer-based UGS sites that require lengthy exploration and permitting.
• Regional Dependability: Odjak’s proximity to existing gas pipeline networks strengthens Turkmenistan’s position as a dependable energy supplier to neighboring markets while safeguarding national supply reliability.
GaffneyCline’s Technical Optimization: From Concept to Scalable Solution
GaffneyCline played a central role in evolving the Odjak UGS concept into a technically optimized and cost-efficient project. Beyond feasibility analysis, the company helped design a more scalable development framework.
Initial models suggested that achieving the planned storage and withdrawal capacity would require about 130 vertical wells—a configuration that would have resulted in substantial costs and operational challenges.
To streamline the design, GaffneyCline proposed high-angle and horizontal well configurations, cutting the required wells to 41–43 under various production scenarios.
This adjustment delivers several advantages:
• Increased Reservoir Exposure: Each horizontal well accesses more of the productive zone, enhancing injectivity and withdrawal rates per well.
• Higher Flow Capacity: Larger tubing diameters were recommended to boost flow performance, allowing faster cycling and better pressure control.
Overall, the optimized design minimizes capital expenditure, accelerates project timelines, and establishes a flexible foundation for future storage operations—aligning closely with Turkmenistan’s broader energy transition ambitions.
