Oil, gas reserves in Afghanistan 10 times more than predicted: survey

Recent surveys revealed oil and gas reserves in Afghanistan are 10 times more than previously predicted, a local newspaper quoted a senior official as saying on Thursday.

Afghan Mines and Mineral Minister Mohammad Ibrahim Adil said Wednesday that the former estimation carried out by Russians showed Afghanistan had 120 billion cubic meters of gas and over 15 million tons of oil, Outlook newspaper said.

The new statistic based on the U.S. Geological Survey, which was shown to him during his visit to the country, said the reserves of oil and gas in Afghanistan are 10 times more than Russians had predicated.

Adil said the new survey showed northern provinces and Herat in the west, Helmand in the south as well as Paktika in the east have most of the oil and gas resources.

During the visit, Adil met U.S. officials and investors to discuss technical support and investment in the field of oil and gas in the war-battery country.

Adil said the U.S. officials promised technical cooperation and equipping Afghan geological survey department with required tools, and U.S. investors also expressed eagerness for investment in Afghanistan.

Privatization of the oil sites will soon begin in the northern Jowzjan province from where Russians had also excavated oil, he added.

Source: Xinhua