Kyrgyz Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiyev recently announced a major oil find in Kyrgyzstan that could potentially supply that nation with all the oil it will need for most of the century.
The oil was discovered in the Western Dzhalal-Abad region, and preliminary estimates suggest there could be as many as 70 million barrels within the field. That would be enough to supply Kyrgyzstan with all the oil it will need for the next 70 years or so. The country currently imports 90 percent of the oil it uses from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Production on the oil field should begin sometime later this year.
Source:
Kyrgystan finds oil. The BBC, May 23, 2001.
Kyrgistan discovers oil. The BBC, May 20, 2001.