Transformational discoveries
The era of easy oil may have come to an end, but, as the century drew to a close, explorers made a number of elephantine discoveries around the globe. Discovered in 2000, Kashagan field, which lies in Kazakhstan’s sector of the Caspian Sea, was the era’s largest find. The field, which extends over a surface area of approximately 75 km by 45 km, was named after a 19th-century Kazak poet from Mangistau. However, despite much promise, the development continues to be beset by problems. Kashagan achieved first oil on Sept. 11, 2013, but production was halted indefinitely, shortly thereafter, due to the leakage of sour gas. The field, which has estimated recoverable reserves of 7 Bbbl to 13 Bbbl of oil, has yet to resume production. Other significant oil discoveries during the period include BP’s Thunder Horse (originally Crazy Horse) development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, Petrobras’ Roncador in the prolific Campos basin, BP/Total/Triton Energy’s Cusiana and Cupiagua fields onshore Colombia, and Iran’s Azadegan oil field. 
