Dragon Oil provides the following infrastructure and drilling update covering operations in Turkmenistan.

The installation of the Dzheitune (Lam) B platform has been completed and the Astra jack-up rig has arrived to the Cheleken Contract Area to commence work for Dragon Oil. The rig has been mobilized on the platform and has spudded the Dzheitune (Lam) B/141 development well, which is expected to come on stream in Q1 2010.

The contract to hire the Astra jack-up rig for six months was signed with BKE Shelf Limited. The Group plans to use this jack-up rig to drill two wells during the contract term.

The Dzheitune (Lam) B platform was installed in the Western part of the Dzheitune (Lam) field. This is the second new platform built and installed in the field since Dragon Oil became the operator in the Cheleken Contract Area in 2000. We expect to drill eight wells from this platform.

The Iran Khazar rig drilled the Dzheitune (Lam) A/139 well to a depth of 3,360 metres. Testing of the short and long strings resulted in production rates of 1,350 bopd and 1,297 bopd, respectively; with further testing and optimisation scheduled to take place. The Iran Khazar rig has skidded to Slot 9 on the Dzheitune (Lam) A platform to commence drilling the Dzheitune (Lam) A/142 well.

Dr Abdul Jaleel Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "I am pleased to report that the Dzheitune (Lam) B platform has been installed successfully and that we have spudded the first well from this platform using the Astra jack-up rig. We have also put into production the seventh well out of the eight wells planned to be completed in 2009. We continue to work towards finalising a long-term contract for a full-time platform-based rig, which will operate alongside the three rigs we now have in operation."

Tags: Dragon Oil Plc