Rosneft holds a 50% stake in the Aday project for exploration and development of the Aday block situated in the oil-rich region of Atyrau in Western Kazakhstan. China’s Sinopec holds the other 50%. This project is being carried out on the basis of a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) signed with Kazakhstan, under which Kazakhstan may receive its share of crude oil or proceeds from its sale.

19 prospective structures have been identified as a result of the Aday block exploration. In 2007, the project participants were primarily engaged in the processing and interpreting historical exploration data. 176 linear km of 2D seismic and 483 square km of 3D seismic were shot in 2008 to ascertain the structure of subsalt layers in the northern part of the license area. Standard processing of 2D seismic materials was completed and technical plans were made for drilling of a prospecting well to the subsalt layers.

Processing and interpretation of 2D and 3D seismic data was completed as part of the Aday project in 2009. The results were used to create a geological model to clarify the geological structure of subsalt deposits in the northern part of the area and to choose a location for a prospecting well. Drilling of an exceptionally deep prospecting well (7,000 meters) to reach subsalt productive horizons at the Kyrykmergen structure is planned for 2011.

In 2010, all available geological and geophysical information on the Aday block was analyzed.

Exploration activities at the Aday block