China's Xibu Drilling Engineering Co. has won a contract for exploration drilling in Uzbekistan's sector of the inland Aral Sea, a source at state-run Uzbekneftegas reportedly said. Russia-based Smith Production Technologies will supervise the work. Aral Sea Operating Co., the international consortium that operates the acreage, invited bids for the drilling and supervision work in June, after analyzing a seismic survey conducted by Russia's PetroAlliance in 2007-08. The work, carried out in the west and center of the acreage, identified four promising structures (IOD Feb.11,p8). The plan is to drill two exploration wells in the western section this year, starting in late November.
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