The optimal way to extinguish the Darvaza gas crater - the "Gates of Hell" (the official name is the "Radiance of the Karakums") - which has been burning more than half a century, is to drill an operational well nearby, according to the local Internet resource NebitGaz.
This is the conclusion reached by specialists from the Scientific Research Institute of the state-owned concern Turkmengaz.
The anomaly, some 60 metres wide and 20 metres deep, was formed during exploratory drilling; according to the official version, a drilling rig fell into the area. Soviet geologists then decided to burn the gas in the cavities.
"It is proposed to drill a well (in this zone), which should open up all the productive formations available in this section, which will further reduce the flow of gas into the crater and reduce methane emissions".
The effectiveness of the proposed measures is confirmed by data from Capterio satellite images, which show a significant reduction in combustion (more than half) in the period from September 2023 to February 2024, when forced gas extraction from nearby wells was carried out.
It is expected that accelerated gas extraction from these wells will make it possible to control filtration flows and reduce uncontrolled gas emissions into the atmosphere.
The delegation of Turkmenistan will visit the headquarters of the International Observatory on Methane Emissions during the Forum on Attracting Investments in the Oil and Gas Sector of Turkmenistan in Paris (France), which will be held on 24-25 April 2024. According to the information, a joint project to conduct relevant scientific research is planned.
Turkmenistan has the opportunity to reduce methane emissions in the country by about 75%. "All this is necessary for the timely fulfilment of the tasks arising from the Paris Agreement in Turkmenistan."
Eziz Boyarov
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