YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, Russia, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Supermajor Exxon Mobil announced it completed two extended-reach wells at the Odoptu field associated with the Sakhalin project in eastern Russia.
Exxon said its onshore Yastreb rig in Sakhalin drilled more than 5 miles under the Sea of Okhotsk from a land location to a target area in the Odoptu oil reservoir.
Neil Duffin, the president of Exxon Mobil Development, hailed the project as a "milestone" for the company and "a testament to international cooperation."
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said it would focus a significant amount of its investment efforts on developing the resource potential associated with Sakhalin developments.
A gas pipeline from Sakhalin island to onshore facilities at Vladivostok, Russia's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean, will run through the Far East with an annual capacity of 1.1 trillion cubic feet.
Exxon said the project has a total resource capacity of 2.3 billion barrels of oil and 17 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
The company said it plans five more extended-reach wells for the Odoptu reservoir. Oil production is expected in the second half of 2010.
