Gazprom Neft says its subsidiary Gazpromneft Sakhalin has acquired a licence for the exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons at the Ayashsky block, located on the continental shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk. The licence, awarded by the Federal Subsoil Resources Management Agency (Rosnedra), runs until 1 July 2039.
The Ayashsky block, located next to the developed fields of the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 projects in this already proven oil- and gas-bearing region, forms part of the Sakhalin-3 project. Recoverable reserves at this latest Gazprom Neft asset are estimated at more than 100 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe). Some 2,150 square metres of 3D seismic works having been previously undertaken at the Ayashsky block, Gazprom Neft Sakhalin has now completed analysis of geological and geophysical information allowing decisions to be made on the most promising structures of geological prospecting works.
Pursuant to the terms of its licence agreement, Gazprom Neft is now making preparations for the drilling of an initial prospecting and appraisal well at the Ayashsky formation, expected to start in summer 2017.
Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov commented: “Developing new projects on the Russian continental shelf means Gazprom Neft can optimise the experience gained in developing and operating the Prirazlomnoye field in the Pechora Sea, and the Novoportovskoye and Messohakhskoye fields in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Using the most cutting-edge technologies and management systems, our company continues to expand the geographic extent of its activities. Safe and effective development in Russia’s most promising oil regions is an area of strategic focus in Gazprom Neft’s operations.”
Gazpromneft Sakhalin is a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft. Established in 2002, the company is primarily engaged in exploration and development of oil and gas fields. Today the company holds licences for the development of the Dolginskoye oil field and the North-West block of the Pechora Sea, the Kheisovsky block in the Barents Sea, and the Severo-Vrangelevsky block, covering the East-Siberian and Chukhchi Seas. A fourth exploration well was drilled at the Dolginskoye field in 2014 and geophysical and hydrodynamic investigations undertaken.
Gazprom Neft is currently engaged in production on the Russian section of the Arctic, on the continental shelf of the Pechora Sea. The Prirazlomnoye project is the first in the world involving oil production from a stationary platform on the Arctic Shelf, with commercial production commencing in December 2013 and initial consignments of a new Russian “Arctic Oil (ARCO)” despatched from the platform in April 2014. The licence to develop this field is held by Gazpromneft-Shelf LLC, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft.
Initially discovered in 1989, the Prirazlomnoye oilfield is located in the Pechora Sea, 60 kilometres from the shore on the 69th parallel. Recoverable reserves are in the order of 70 million tonnes. The “Prirazlomnaya” ice-resistant offshore rig was designed specifically for development of this field, and is designed for use in the most extreme environmental and climatic conditions, as well as meeting the most stringent safety requirements and withstanding maximum ice loads. A “zero-emissions” system is in operation at the Prirazlomnaya rig, with drilling fluid, bit cuttings (“drilling sludge”) and other production waste all pumped into a special re-injection well.