The study of the Precaspian basin being the key oil and gas bearing basin in Kazakhstan remains extremely insufficient, despite the discovery of supergiant oil and gas fields. The main problem of its study is related to the large thickness of the sedimentary mantle, a significant part of which is assessed as oil-prospective due to the peculiarities of its structure. All discoveries made in the pre-salt complex relate to the marginal parts of the depression or the so-called flank zones. Deeper horizons in the central part remain virtually unexplored. The Eurasia project was initiated about 20 years ago to address this problem. It is divided into three phases. Phase 1, which involves reinterpretation of the accumulated geological and geophysical information, was completed in 2022. The main goal of phase 1 was to identify the most promising areas of deep-lying objects and develop programs for further geological exploration for phase 2. The geological exploration planned in phase 2 must be carried out using the most advanced, efficient, knowledge-intensive and innovative exploration technologies; its results must provide reliable data on the deep geological structure of the study area to depths of 20–25 km. Phase 3 is expected to involve the drilling of an ultradeep (10–15 km) parametric well. The results of phase 3 of the Eurasia project will make it possible to clarify the deep hydrocarbon potential of the Caspian basin. The data obtained can be used when planning similar work in other oil and gas basins. New methods of geophysical exploration and drilling of ultradeep wells will become the basis for new high-tech technologies and techniques. The criteria for selecting the location of the borehole, discussed in this article, are of critical importance.
References
1. Volozh Yu.A., Abukova L.A., Antipov M.P. et al., Utoclave type of the hydrocarbon systems in the Caspian oil and gas bearing province (Russia): Conditions of formation at great depth (In Russ.), Geotektonika, 2022, no. 6, pp. 1–19, DOI: https://doi.org/10.31857/S0016853X22060078
2. Volozh Yu.A., Antipov M.P., Kuandykov B.M. et al., Kaspiyskiy region: problema poiska uglevodorodov na bol’shikh glubinakh, vozmozhnye puti ee resheniya (Caspian region: the problem of searching for hydrocarbons at great depths, possible ways to solve it), Proceedings of ONGK, 2024, V. 4, pp. 20–33.
