Gazprom Neft widens its presence in the Orenburg Oblast
Gazprom Neft has won the license to the Pervormaisky block, and is also expanding the boundaries of fields it is already developing in the Orenburg Oblast.
Gazprom Neft continues its development of a promising exploration cluster in the south—west of the Orenburg Oblast, with the company due to secure the license to the Pervomaisky block before the end of the year. Covering an area of approximately 394 square kilometres, the block is marked by a low level of exploration. Geological prospecting works, including seismic works and appraisal drilling, are due to be undertaken over the next five years.
The Pervomaisky block adjoins the Nadezhdinsky and Zapadno-Rubezhinsky license blocks, where Gazprom Neft will begin exploration work as soon as 2020. The company will complete the first stage of exploration works in the south—west of the Orenburg Region — where the Solnechny and Kornovavarinsky blocks are also located — by the end of 2022. Drilling of prospecting wells, together with 3D-seismic works in
Gazprom Neft has also expanded the boundaries of its key asset in the region — the eastern section of the Orenburg Oil and Gas Condensate Field,* with the company having secured the rights to an adjoining 76 square kilometres area. Initial estimates suggest this could increase the resource base in this part of the Orenburg Region by more than six million tonnes of oil.
Gazprom Neft expanded its rights in the Filatovskoye+Tsarichanskoye field by 2.5 square kilometres in 2019.** Recoverable reserves at these new blocks, secured as a result of boundary changes, stand at 7.2 million tonnes of oil. Commercial development of these new assets is expected to begin as soon as 2019.
«Gazprom Neft continues to expand its presence in the Orenburg Oblast. Concurrently with field development already in hand, we are also moving into areas that are new for us. The large exploration cluster now being developed in the south—east of the region could, assuming reserves are confirmed, become a major source for reserves replenishment».
Yuri Masalkin Director for Geological Prospecting and Resource Base Development, Gazprom Neft
The expansion of these blocks was facilitated through the “cut-in” mechanism, whereby part of a field’s open-acreage reserves can be attached to an asset by adjusting the boundaries of that asset.
Since 2017 Gazprom Neft has expanded the boundaries of the Gazpromneft-Noyabrskneftegaz Krainiy license block in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and the Gazpromneft-Vostok Shinginsky and Archinsky fields, using the same mechanism.
* Recoverable AB1+2C1+2 reserves at the eastern block of the Orenburg Oil and Gas Condensate Field stand at 137.4 million tonnes of oil, 1.8 million tonnes of condensate, 38.8 billion cubic metres of natural gas and 25.3 billion cubic metres of dissolved (associated) gas.
** The Filatovskoye+Tsarichanskoye field’s Filatovsky block is located in the south—west of the Vostochno-Orenburgsky district, in the Volgo—Urals oil and gas region. The Filatovskoye field was discovered in 2011, and brought into commercial development in 2015. The Tsarichanskoye and Filatovskoye fields were brought together to form the Filatovskoye + Tsarichanskoye field in 2015.
