490 
to 1975. The number of Caspian drilling brigades will be increased 
from the current 90 to 180.* 
Russia’s program for increasing offshore Caspian oil and gas produc- 
tion during the next (tenth) 5 Year Plan follows the disclosure of 
mixed results for the first 4 years of (1971-74) of the current (ninth) 
5 Year Plan. The original goals for crude oil and condensate were 
not attained in the 1971 to 1974 period mainly because of delays 
in building fixed platforms and connecting trestles and a drilling lag. 
The Soviets cite weak labor and technological discipline; a high ac- 
cident rate; poor quality of tools, drill pipe, and casing; and poor 
mud quality as factors contributing to the failure to meet exploratory 
drilling goals. The present 5 Year Plan target for Caspian gas produc- 
tion, however, was fulfilled in just under 4 years.*6 
Minimum recoverable hydrocarbon reserves for the general Caspian 
region have been estimated by A. A. Meyerhoff. The Kopet Dag 
foredeep, a complex of basins that extends from the eastern shore 
of the Caspian Sea to Afghanistan, has been estimated to contain 
a minimum of 54 billion barrels of recoverable liquid hydrocarbons 
and 225 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas both onshore and 
offshore.*” To the west of the eastern shore of the Caspian, the Kopet 
Dag structure breaks into two parts, a southern or South Caspian 
Kura-Rioni basin complex and a northern or Baku-North Caucasus- 
Crimea basin which includes part of the Black Sea and the Sea of 
Azov. Estimates for minimum hydrocarbon recovery from this region 
(both onshore and offshore) is of the order of 28 billion barrels 
of liquids and 61 trillion cubic feet of gas. Meyerhoff feels, however, 
that these figures are very conservative, perhaps only one-half of 
the ultimate recovery.*8 
The Soviets reported that the goal for raising Caspian Sea oil ex- 
plored reserves was achieved in 1974 for the first time in several 
years. ““Explored”’ (roughly, proved plus probable) crude and conden- 
sate reserves were increased by 146 million barrels and gas reserves 
were increased by 494 billion cubic feet.*9 
THE BLACK SEA 
The Soviet Union is making preparations for an oil and gas explora- 
tion effort in the Black Sea and its northeastern arm, the Sea of 
Azov. Consideration is being given to accelerate platform construction 
on the large Golitsina uplift, discovered by drilling operations which 
began in 1971. The original drilling found gas of noncommercial value. 
In 1974, after a 2-year delay, drilling began again and the first com- 
mercial Black Sea gas strike was made on the Golitsina uplift in 
March 1975. Several pay zones were found at a depth of only 750 
meters. The successful well was drilled from Russia’s second Black 
%5' Bakke, Donald R. Soviet Russia Hopes for Decade of Offshore Petroleum Expansion Rise 
Despite Skid in Subsea Oil Production, op. cit., p. 236. 
36 Bakke, Donald R. Russia Gears Up Offshore Activity for Biggest Production Gains in Its History. 
Offshore, May 1975, pp. 303-305. 
37 Meyerhoff, A. A. Geopolitical Implications of Russian and Chinese Petroleum. Exploration and 
Economics of the Petroleum Industry, New Ideas, New Methods, New Developments, Matthew 
Bender, New York, Vol. 11, 1973, p. 96. 
38 Tbid. : 
39 Bakke, Donald R. Soviet Russia Hopes for Decade of Offshore Petroleum Expansion Rise 
Despite Skid in Subsea Oil Production, op. cit., p. 235. 
