JSC Gazprom Neft organizes industry conference with focus on projects in East Siberia

JSC Gazprom Neft has hosted the ‘Exploration and field development inEast Siberia’ industry conference inSt. Petersburg for the third time. The event provided experts from oil companies and specialist scientific research institutes with the opportunity toshare their experiences ofexploration and field development inEast Siberia, aswell astodiscuss the unique aspects and current issues associated with opening upoil and gas reserves inthis region. The consolidation ofknowledge acquired through different projects inEast Siberia will assist companies inestablishing the best approaches for future development ofthe significant raw materials reserves there.

JSC Gazprom Neft’s strategic plans include the development ofanew production centre inEast Siberia. JSC Gazprom Neft iscurrently continuing geological exploration aspart ofthe Chona project which includes three fields (Ignyalinskoye, Tympuchikanskoye and Vakunaiskoye) located onthe border between Irkutsk Region and the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The total reserves ofthe Chona project are estimated at125 million tonnes ofoil and 225 cubic metres ofgas. JSC Gazprom Neft isworking with the Japanese company JOGMECat the Ignyalinskoye field, but isworking independently atthe other two fields. The company isfully complying with the terms ofthe licence agreement (the subsoil user isthe JSC Gazprom Neft subsidiary Gazpromneft-Angara).

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Inthe Chona project, JSC Gazprom Neft was the first Russian company touse the innovative UniQ technology developed bySchlumberger. UniQ isaunique system ofgeophysical equipment and computer software designed for high-resolution seismic acquisition. The UniQ seismic system was used inthe 2013 field season over 350 square kilometres inthe Tympuchikansky and Vakunaisky areas. Asaresult, 16times more data was collected than would have been possible using traditional 3Dseismic survey methods.

In2013, the total volume ofwork carried out onthe three fields ofthe Chona project comprised 500 square kilometres of3Dseismic survey, 2,500 linear kilometres ofelectrical exploration, the drilling offour exploration and appraisal wells, and repeat testing offour previously drilled wells. Pilot development work has commenced atthe Tympuchikanskoye field and trial production isunderway. The design for the Chona project’s surface infrastructure has been developed.

The main focus for the coming year istocarry out research and prepare for pilot development work. In2014, 3Dseismic surveys will becarried out on900 square kilometres (including 600 square kilometres using UniQ technology), and upto4,500 linear kilometres ofelectrical exploration. Plans include the drilling offive exploration and appraisal wells, repeat testing ofone previously drilled well, and starting commercial test production attwo wells. Work will also start this year onlocating sand quarries and rocky soil toprovide materials for site access roads. Sites will beprepared for the construction ofthe main production facilities during 2016–2018, including oil treatment facilities, acommercial oil pipeline, adelivery and acceptance point, energy supply facilities, etc.

JSC Gazprom Neft isalso acquiring experience inEast Siberia through its involvement inthe development ofthe Kuyumbinskoye field asashareholder inSlavneft. Todate, 69exploration and appraisal wells, four parametric wells, and seven development wells have been drilled atthe field. Plans for 2014 include drilling ofafurther eight producing wells, carrying out a3Dseismic survey over anarea of1,100 square kilometres, refining our understanding ofthe field geology, and preparing the designs for the infrastructure, including the location and capacity ofcommercial facilities. Atpresent there are five wells atKuyumba, which are intended for exploration and commercial test production; predicted initial flow rates atalevel of120–140 tonnes per day have been confirmed. The plan istobring the field into commercial production within three years.

• Exploration and production photo gallery