The Elusive Quest For Oil In Afghanistan: A Geopolitical Gamble?

Afghanistan has five known crude oil sites located in the Amu River basin in the north, Helmand, Herat, and Katawaz in the southeastern province of Paktika. The country's crude oil zone is stretched over 75,000 square kilometres and is estimated to hold 962 million barrels of crude oil and 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The Afghan government has been working to develop the country's mineral resources, including oil and gas, to contribute to economic development and growth. The United States and other countries have also shown interest in Afghanistan's oil and gas potential, with companies proposing pipeline projects to transport oil and gas through Afghanistan to neighbouring countries.

Afghanistan's oil reserves

Afghanistan has large untapped energy resources, including oil and natural gas. The country has five known crude oil sites located in the Amu River basin in the north, Helmand, Herat and Katawaz in the southeastern province of Paktika. The Amu River basin is shared with Turkmenistan and Tajikistan and is estimated to hold 962 million barrels of crude oil and 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The Afghan-Tajik oil zone, which is estimated to hold 946 million barrels of crude oil and 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, is also shared with Turkmenistan and extends to the border territory of Tajikistan.

In 2010, it was discovered that there are 1.8 billion barrels of oil between Balkh and Jawzjan Province in the north of the country. The United States Geological Survey and the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Industry jointly assessed that the estimated mean volumes of undiscovered petroleum in the Afghan-Tajik Basin and the Amu Darya Basin were 1,596 million barrels of crude oil, 444 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and 562 million barrels of natural gas liquids.

In 2012, the Afghanistan government signed an oil exploration contract with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the development of three oil fields along the Amu Darya river. CNPC began Afghan oil production in October 2012, extracting 1.5 million barrels of oil annually.

The country's significance from an energy standpoint is also due to its geographical position as a transit route for oil, natural gas, and electricity exports from Central Asia to South Asia and the Arabian Sea. In the 1990s, several oil companies proposed the Afghanistan Oil Pipeline project to transport oil from the Caspian region and Central Asia through Afghanistan to Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast. However, due to political and security instability at the time, the project was dismissed.

Oil consumption in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's oil consumption has varied over the years. In 2010, the country consumed 4,800 barrels of oil per day. This increased to 35,000 barrels per day in 2016, ranking Afghanistan 117th in the world for oil consumption. This accounted for about 0.0% of the world's total consumption of 97,103,871 barrels per day.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, Afghanistan's average oil consumption between 1980 and 2014 was 18,590 barrels per day, with a minimum of 3,800 barrels per day in 2003 and a maximum of 130,000 barrels per day in 2014.

Afghanistan's oil consumption is expected to increase in the coming years. The country has several crude oil sites located in the Amu River basin in the north, Helmand, Herat, and Katawaz in the southeastern province of Paktika. The Afghan-Tajik crude oil zone, for example, is expected to produce 300,000 barrels of oil per day in the coming two years.

The country's oil consumption is also influenced by its role as a transit route for oil exports from Central Asia to South Asia and the Arabian Sea. The proposed Afghanistan Oil Pipeline, for instance, would have transported oil from the Caspian region and Central Asia through Afghanistan to Pakistan.

Afghanistan's oil resources and consumption are significant for the country's economic development and growth. The development of the country's oil and mineral resources is considered a priority, and the government has introduced new laws and regulations to meet international standards and attract foreign investment.

Oil imports and exports

Afghanistan has large untapped energy resources, including natural gas and petroleum. The country has five known crude oil sites located in the Amu River basin in the north, Helmand, Herat, and Katawaz in the southeastern province of Paktika. The Amu River basin is shared with Turkmenistan and Tajikistan and is estimated to hold 962 million barrels of crude oil and 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

In 2012, Afghanistan signed an oil exploration contract with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for the development of three oil fields along the Amu Darya river. The same year, CNPC began Afghan oil production, extracting 1.5 million barrels of oil annually.

Prior to the Taliban takeover in 2021, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum was working to introduce new mineral and hydrocarbon laws that would meet international standards of governance. The Ministry was also responsible for the exploration, development, exploitation, and processing of minerals and hydrocarbons, as well as protecting their ownership and regulating their transportation and marketing.

As of 2016, Afghanistan did not import or export any oil. However, the country's strategic location makes it an important transit route for oil, natural gas, and electricity exports from Central Asia to South Asia and the Arabian Sea.

In the 1990s, several oil companies proposed the Afghanistan Oil Pipeline project to transport oil from the Caspian region and Central Asia through Afghanistan to Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast. The proposed pipeline would have provided an alternative export route for regional oil production, bypassing Russian and Iranian territories. However, due to political and security instability at the time, the project was dismissed.

Oil pipelines

Afghanistan has five known crude oil sites located in the Amu River basin in the north, Helmand, Herat, and Katawaz in the southeastern province of Paktika. The country's first oil production began in late 2012.

The Afghan government has been working to develop its oil and gas sector, awarding contracts to various international companies. For example, a Canadian company (Terrasais) completed drilling worth $12.5 million in the 480-square-kilometre Sizmak Afghan-Tajik crude oil zone. The excavation contract for this zone was awarded to a Chinese company for 25 years, with an expected annual extraction of 15,000 barrels of crude oil per day, bringing in an estimated $400 million in annual revenue for the Afghan government.

The Afghan-Tajik Crude Oil Zone, located in the north and northeast of Afghanistan, stretches over approximately 31,000 square kilometres along the 360-kilometre border with Turkmenistan. It was discovered in 1958 and is estimated to hold around 946 million barrels of crude oil and 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The worth of this zone is estimated at $123 billion.

There have also been proposals for oil pipelines in Afghanistan, such as the Afghanistan Oil Pipeline project, which aimed to transport oil from the Caspian region and Central Asia through Afghanistan to Pakistan. In the 1990s, the American Unocal Corporation considered building a 1,600-kilometre-long pipeline to link Turkmenistan to Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast. However, due to political and security instability, the project was dismissed.

Some analysts have suggested that the United States-led Western invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was motivated by the country's potential as a conduit for oil pipelines to neighbouring countries, bypassing Russian and Iranian territories. However, others argue that the theoretical pipeline was not a significant factor in the invasion decision-making process.

Oil fields and zones

Afghanistan has five known crude oil sites located in the Amu River basin in the north, Helmand, Herat, and Katawaz in the southeastern province of Paktika. The country's crude oil zones include the Afghan-Tajik, Tirpul, Katawaz, and Helmand crude oil zones.

The Afghan-Tajik Crude Oil Zone

The Afghan-Tajik crude oil zone is located in the north and northeast of Afghanistan, stretching over about 31,000 square kilometres along the 360-kilometre border with Turkmenistan. It extends from the Takhar province to the Jawzjan province, bordering the Hindukush Mountains in the east, the Amu River in the north and west, and the Alburz Mountains in the south. The zone also extends into the border territory of Tajikistan. The Tajik-Afghan crude oil zone was discovered in 1958 and is estimated to have reserves of around 946 million barrels of crude oil and 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Tirpul Crude Oil Zone

The Tirpul crude oil zone is located in the Islam Qala district in the western province of Herat, about 95 kilometres from the Iranian border. It stretches over an area of 14,000 square kilometres. While the exact volume of crude oil in this zone has not been established, geologists believe that it has sufficient reserves and predict easy excavation at the site.

Katawaz Crude Oil Zone

The Katawaz zone is located in the southeast of Afghanistan and extends into Pakistan. It reaches a depth of up to 6,000 metres and is stretched over an area of 4,000 square kilometres. In 1957, the Department of Petroleum signed a contract with the French company Total for the geological survey of the Katawaz oil zone. However, after spending more than $3 million, Total paid the Ministry of Mines to finish the contract, which included technical surveys, stratigraphy, geographical surveys, and the measurement of hydrocarbon reserves.

Helmand Crude Oil Zone

The Helmand crude oil zone is located in a desert area and stretches over an area of 131,000 square kilometres. Its layers reach a depth of up to six kilometres. However, further geological surveys have not yet been conducted.

In addition to these zones, NASA maps have predicted five more crude oil zones, suggesting that as many as 100 zones of crude oil and natural gas exist in Afghanistan.

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