Gazprom Neft has secured subsoil-usage rights for geological prospecting at four existing fields — the Vyngapurovskoye, Sugmutskoye, Sredne-Iturskoye and Severo-Yangtinskoye fields — in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, all of which are currently being developed by Gazprom Neft subsidiary Gazpromneft-Noyabrskneftegaz (Gazpromneft-NNG).
These licenses all confer exploration and field-appraisal rights at hitherto unexplored Cretaceous (Achimovsky), Jurassic and Paleozoic hydrocarbon deposits.
Provisional estimates by Gazprom Neft geologists suggest total oil initially in place (OIIP) could exceed 102 million tonnes. The greatest potential would appear to be offered by investigating Achimovsky strata at the Sugmutskoye and Severo-Yangtinskoye fields, where 80 million tonnes of resources are believed to be concentrated. Jurassic deposits at the Sredne-Irkutskoye and Vyngapurovskoye fields could comprise more than 22 million tonnes of oil.
These licenses will remain in force until 2027. In the short term, the company will confirm its geological prospecting programme, which will include seismic investigations and prospecting-and-appraisal drilling.
“Existing infrastructure means the company will be able to bring any deposits discovered in these fields’ underlying beds into production as quickly as possible. Acquiring licenses to areas in existing fields is an opportunity that can be pursued under the ‘declarative’ or ‘self-certification’ principle — something previously used by Gazprom Neft in the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrugs. This makes sense if there is promise of productive hydrocarbon deposits extending below previously licensed areas, where commercial production is already ongoing.”
Yuri Masalkin Director for Geological Exploration and Resource-Base Development, Gazprom Neft
“Despite the fact that these fields form part of a mature resource base, we see them as having major resource potential. Going down to lower-lying geological ‘floors’ — initially Nizhne-Jurassic and Paleozoic strata — opens up new opportunities for the business to expand its resource base, and having existing oil treatment and transportation facilities offers efficiency gains in developing these fields.”
Alexander Shushakov Director General, Gazpromneft-NNG
Achimovsky deposits occur in the lower part of the Melovaya (Cretaceous) system in the Noyabrsky region, at depths of
Jurassic deposits tend to be mainly structural-lithological deposits, marked by low reservoir properties and high lateral and vertical heterogeneity. Jurassic strata are located at depths of
Paleozoic deposits tend to be the most under-researched interval in a cross-section, and their potential is currently in the processes of being assessed. The main areas of interest in Paleozoic deposits are facture zones and carbonate structures. Paleozoic deposits are typically located at depths of more than 3,500 metres.
