Vankorneft, the Rosneft subsidiary which holds the license for exploring the Vankor oil deposit in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, has succeeded in achieving an oil flow at a rate of 1,000 tons a day from the lower Hittite layer of Vankor Well No. 9. Drilling and testing of Vankor well No. 9 and North Vankor Well No. 1 (the North Vankor block in the Taimyr Autonomous District) is now complete; four more wells - North Vankor No. 2, Vankor Nos. 7, 8, 11 - will be drilled in the near future. All exploratory drilling is to be completed within the first six months of 2005.
The additional North Vankor Wells Nos. 3 and 4 are to be drilled for exploration of the Taimyr part of the Vankor oil field.
As a result of exploratory drilling in 2004-2005, the Vankor deposit recoverable reserves have almost doubled (they were previously estimated at about 125 million tons). Rosneft started the full-scale exploration of the Vankor field in 2003 by conducting large amounts of seismic research. In 2004, after the seismological data were reprocessed, the experts discovered the Vankor oil deposit (in its previous size) and the North Vankor block (the exploration license for which is held by another Rosneft subsidiary – Taimyrneft) were joined in a single closed double-dome structural high with an approximate size of 15 km. by 37 km (previously 9.5 km. by 19 km.).
In 2004 Rosneft invested some 2 billion rubles in Vankor exploration. Investments this year will total 5.9 billion rubles.
The Vankor oil-and-gas field was discovered in 1991. 6 exploration wells were drilled there by 2004; four deposits of high-quality oil and natural gas, consisting of 93-99% methane, were found there.
According to Rosneft’s estimations, exploring a new petroleum area that has no infrastructure is only economically efficient if the area has over 250-300 million tons of recoverable reserves. Some 1.2 billion dollars are required only for the construction of more than 700 km. of long-distance pipeline, required to transport oil from Vankor to the Dixon harbor located on the Arctic Ocean shore; the oil field development also requires the drilling of 180 service wells and the construction of other facilities.
Production at the Vankor oil field will reach a level of over 14 million tons of oil a year over the next 6-7 years. Commercial development is scheduled to start in 2007. Rosneft intends to increase oil production at Vankor to 2.5 million tons by this time; and up to 6 million tons by 2008.
In August 2004, Rosneft obtained 10 exploration licenses for exploring subsurface areas near to the planned route of the pipeline to Dixon. The company is to spend more than 3 billion rubles on preliminary geological exploration of the areas (geochemical surveys, 2D and 3D seismic surveys, exploratory drilling). If large new deposits are discovered, expenditure will increase significantly.
The Vankor-Dixon pipeline construction is scheduled for 2006-2008. The pipeline’s capacity will total 14 million tons per annum (and may be expanded to 18 million tons); its estimated length is 710 km. 3 pump stations and other important technical facilities are to be built for oil delivery. Most of the pipeline will be below the surface.
Six ice-breakers with a capacity of 70,000-80,000 tons are to be used to transport oil from the oil-loading terminal at Dixon. Two will be placed in operation in 2008; the others at a later date.
Rosneft and the Canadian engineering company SNC-Lavalin have concluded a 13 million dollar contract for design works at the deposit and the planned pipeline route. The contract also covers the design of a marine loading terminal at Dixon with a capacity of 18 million tons a year and a 400 cubic meter storage facility; and a design of a refining unit supplying Rosneft’s local plants with oil and lubricants made from the crude they extract.
Performance under the contract has been underway since March; the tasks set by the contract will be completed within a year. |
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