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Lukoil technique recognized as one of Russia's best inventions
LUKOIL specialists were awarded a diploma by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks (Rospatent) in the nomination "Russia's 100 Best Inventions". The diploma was awarded for RF patent No. 2335628 on invention of the technique for "local directional hydraulic reservoir fracturing at oil or gas fields".

The team of inventors includes: Dzhevan Cheloyants, OAO LUKOIL Vice President, Head of the Main Technical Division, Mikhail Vyatchinin, Deputy Head of the Main Division of Oil and Gas Production, Vladimir Titievsky, Head of the Division of Oil Production, Yuri Ikonnikov, Head of the Oil Production Section, and Robert Ramazanov, Head of the Oil Production Servicing Section.

The technique is aimed at production enhancement of oil, gas and gas-condensate fields and, particularly, of mature fields characterized by high water production and occurrence of lost-circulation and blind zones which are insusceptible to application of common production techniques.

Kamennoye Progress Pleases TNK-BP
TNK-BP says its Kamennoye field one of the oldest in west Siberia and only a decade ago widely viewed as impossible to develop - should soon provide a big boost to output growth. Development of the 2bn bl field in the Khanty-Mansiyisk district is one of three projects on which TNK-BP is focusing this year, the others being the Uvat and Verkhnechonsk greenfields. The firm says making crude extraction from Kamennoye economically viable was particularly challenging as the geology is more complicated than at any of its more recent developments.

Since 2004, TNK-BP has invested $600mn in Kamennoye and plans to invest $700mn more in 2009- 13, including $250mn this year.

Gazprom grabs 20% of Sakhalin-1 gas
The Sakhalin-1 consortium reportedly has agreed to sell 20% of the natural gas extracted from the project to Russian monopoly Gazprom. US supermajor ExxonMobil operates Sakhalin-1, on the Russian Pacific coast island of the same name, in cooperation with Russian state oil firm Rosneft, Japan's Itochu, Japanese outfit Marubeni and India's ONGC.

Gazprom has long said it needs the gas produced at Sakahlin-1 to cover domestic needs, while ExxonMobil has long-stated it is looking for the best price, though has eyed major importer China for some time. The project has been producing oil for several years and reached peak production of 11.2 million tonnes in 2007.

Roxi duo pass the test
Kazakhstan-based oil explorer Roxi Petroleum has successfully tested two wells in central Kazakhstan. The company said it estimated reserves of 13 million barrels of C1 and 5 million barrels of C2. Roxi said the average daily test production from the NW Konus field is 1000 barrels of oil per day.

Russia and Serbia prime gas pact
At the time of going to press, Serbia's gas monopoly Srbijagas and Russia's Gazprom were expected to sign a agreement, to develop an arm of the South Stream gas pipeline. The deal, will allow Serbia to diversify its gas supplies and avoid shortages.

"The Serbian arm of the pipeline will have annual capacity of 20 billion cubic metres of gas and will be about 450 kilometres long," Bajatovic told the news agency. Last December, Serbia and Russia finalised a bilateral energy pact, with Belgrade agreeing to sell a 51% stake in its oil monopoly NIS to Gazprom Neft for $400 million ($544.6 million) in exchange for an arm of the South Stream gas pipeline and the completion of the Banatski Dvor gas storage.

The South Stream has been designed to bypass Ukraine and transport Russian gas under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and onwards to Serbia and Europe.

Nabucco engineers get to work
Nabucco pipeline engineers have begun detailed planning along the gas route between the Caspian region and Europe, taking the project into its next phase, the Vienna-based consortium announced. The consortium's engineers in Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey will help prepare for negotiations with gas suppliers and enable local approvals for the project, which plans to pump gas through 3300 kilometers of pipeline from 2014.

The project has gained impetus following the gas price row between Russia and transit country Ukraine in January, which left over a dozen European countries without gas for two weeks. But funding, the sourcing of natural gas and some disagreement between consortium members have also weighed on the project, which has had to push back some of its target dates, a Reuters report said.

The European Union's agreement in Prague last week to smooth the way for more gas imports from the Caspian region was an "important political milestone" for the project, consortium head Reinhard Mitschek said in a statement.

TNK-BP Appoints Executive Vice President, Technology
TNK-BP announces that Francis Sommer has been appointed Executive Vice President, Technology of the TNK-BP group of companies.

Francis has been with TNK-BP since 2005, as Vice President, Technology. He has played an important role in technology transfer to TNK-BP, and has been instrumental in establishing a consistent approach to the evaluation and quantification of reserves across TNK-BP's asset base. He joined TNK-BP following a successful and varied petro-technical career of almost twenty years in BP, in the UK, USA and Colombia.

Japan and Russia to co-develop oilfields
Japan and Russia plan to sign an agreement, as early as today, to jointly develop oilfields in Eastern Siberia. It has been reported that the agreement will involve two oilfields in central part of the Russian region of Irkutsk.

The project will be led by a joint venture between Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, or JOGMEC, and Irkutsk Oil. The Japanese government-owned company is expected to take a 49% stake and the Russian partner the remainder. With the goal of starting full-scale production as early as 2013, the joint venture will kick off survey and drilling in 2010 or later.

Sibir Appoints Chief Executive Officer
Sibir Energy announce that Mr Stuard Detmer has been confirmed as the Chief Executive Officer of Sibir. His experience in a senior management role within the Company since 2003 will ensure effective management continuity for the Company.

Total readies Shtokman tenders
French giant Total said recently that the Shtokman development partners were poised to launch the first round of tenders for the massive Barents Sea gas development, adding that it was "too early" to give an estimate for final project costs.

Total's Shtokman planning manager Philippe Rondy said: "Once the first tender bids are in place we will be in a position to talk about capital expenditure estimates. I expect this will be by the end of this year."

He said the Shtokman partners see the credit crunch as an opportunity to make cost savings, pointing out that the cost of steel has dropped since front-end engineering and design (FEED) work got under way in December 2007.

Plans for first pipeline gas deliveries in 2013, with the first liquefied gas cargo scheduled for 2014 remain in place he said with "The main technical solutions decided".

"We are opting for an ice-resistant floating production unit, and are planning to produce from 20 wells via three subsea templates."

Aker Solutions bags Sakhalin-1 gig
Norway's Aker Solutions is primed to build the Arkutun-Dagi gravity base structure (GBS) for the Sakhalin-1 project in Russia after receiving a contract award from operator Exxon Neftegas. Aker Solutions estimates the value for services could total $600 million over the next three years.

Once completed, the GBS will lie off Sakhalin Island on the east coast of Russia and will be a part of the drilling and production facilities for the Arkutun-Dagi development, a future phase of Sakhalin-1.

Transneft sees steady Russian output
Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft expects the country's crude production to remain stable this year, despite the economic slowdown, and will receive the first tranche of a $10 billion Chinese loan by the end of May, company president Nikolai Tokarev recently anounced.

"Volumes will stay at practically the same level," Tokarev told Reuters. Transneft is well-placed to calculate Russian oil production due to the orders it receives from producers to fill its pipelines. Tokarev said output would increase by 2012, although perhaps at a slightly slower rate than envisaged last year.

Russia's Surgut almost triples profit
Russia's fourth-largest oil company Surgut said its net profit almost tripled in the first quarter from the fourth quarter of 2008. The company said today that its net profit to Russian Accounting Standards stood at 68.79 billion roubles ($2.07 billion), up from 23.79 billion in the previous three months.

The company did not give a reason for the profit increase. Many Russian oil companies say their profits have recovered following a loss-making fourth quarter after oil prices stabilized and the Russian government cut oil export duties.

D&F Group takes a new name and becomes Beerenberg
The D&F Group has recently changed its profile, and will from now on conduct its business under the brand name Beerenberg as a consequence of the new ownership structure in 2006 and acquisition of Bjørge Norcoat in 2007, with the ambition for big growth internationally in 2009.

The name has been chosen that best fits the associations of the our company and services. Mount Beerenberg on the arctic island of Jan Mayen is Norway's only active volcano, and it is also the most northern, active volcano in the world. It is truly an extreme environment, much like the surroundings that the company have to face, and counter the effects of, on a daily basis.

PetroChina to boost storage for Russian oil
PetroChina's largest Daqing oilfield will add eight large crude oil storage tanks by 2010 after having installed two such tanks for offloading Russian oil. The 10 tanks alone, with planned capacity of 150,000 cubic metres each, will boost Daqing's crude oil storage capacity by nearly 10 million barrels, as China is set to ship in more Russian oil following the recent oil-for-loan deals between the two countries.

China agreed this month to lend $10 billion to Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft and another $15 billion to state-run oil major Rosneft in exchange for supplies via pipeline shipment of 300 million tonnes of Russian oil over 20 years.

The planned pipeline that will be used to transport Russian oil ends at the Daqing oilfield. China currently gets most of its Russian oil supplies via rail.

Oil production at Daqing, China's top oilfield by output, has been on a decline after decades of extraction.

ATR Group expands operations in Baku
ATR Group is unveiling an expanded offering in the Caspian, with a growing staff base in Baku alongside further cash investment in equipment serving the region. Aberdeen, Scotland-headquartered ATR made a major push into Azerbaijan in 2008, when it acquired Bridon International and is again developing its business with a stand at the Caspian oil show in June.The firm's Baku operation is now being led by highly experienced operations manager Malcolm Fox, who arrives as country manager with nearly 20 years experience in the oil and gas industry.

ATR director Robert Skidmore said: "Our work in the Caspian is developing apace and the addition of Malcolm Fox to our team gives our clients in the region access to a leading expert in his field.

EAGE St Petersburg 2010
The European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), joint with the Eurasian Geophysical Society (EAGO), will hold the 4th International Geosciences Conference and Exhibition "Saint Petersburg 2010, New discoveries through integration of geosciences". The conference will take place April 5-8, 2010 at the International Business Center in Saint Petersburg. More then 500 geosciences specialists are expected to visit the conference. The extensive scientific programme, including simultaneous work of several disciplines, will include workshops and courses from leading scientists. The exhibition will allow the opportunity to become more acquainted with the latest exploration and production technologies. Join us in Russia!

More information about the event: http://www.eage.org/

Labels: Aker Solutions, ATR Caspian, EAGE St Petersburg 2010, Gazprom, Lukoil, Nabucco, Roxi Petroleum, Russian oil gas news, Sakhalin, Shtokman, Sibir Energy, Surgut, TNK BP, Transneft, Uvat

posted by The Rogtec Team @ 10:48  0 Comments

Russia expects gas output at 700 bn cm in 2009
Russia's gas output is expected to reach 700 bn cm next year, up 3.2 % from an expected 678 bn cm this year, the Russian energy ministry said in a draft document. Last year Russia produced a total of 654 bn cm. According to the ministry's draft General Scheme for Gas Industry Development to 2030, in 2010 Russian gas output is forecast to reach 717 bn cm. The figure is a little higher than the recent outlook by the economic development ministry, which targeted output of 715 bn cm in 2010.

Over the next two years, some 85% of total output will continue to come from the traditional gas provinces in West Siberia. Production from East Siberia and the Russian Far East is expected to account for 16.7 bn cm in 2009 and 22.7 bn cm in 2010, up from 11.8 bn cm in 2007.

Russia is expected to add 783 bn cm of gas reserves in 2008, 686 bn cm in 2009 and 841 bn cm in 2010, the energy ministry's document said. Last year 684 bn cm of new reserves were added.

Turkmen cut 2008 gas output target
Turkmenistan, will cut gas output to 50 billion cubic meters this year from last year's 72.3 Bcm, Oil and Gas Minister Annaguly Deryaev announced.

The government had previously said Turkmenistan would produce 81.5 Bcm this year, but the country halted supplies to neighboring Iran in the first quarter amid a pricing row which led to a cut in output. Turkmenistan and Iran are due to sign a new supply agreement this month.

Turkmenistan sells most of its gas to Russia's Gazprom, but seeks to develop new fields and diversify exports. Deryaev also said Turkmen oil output would be 10 million tones this year, the same as last year.

DOCKWISE concludes USD 84m VYBORG / Shtokman Contract
Following the letter of intent announced in June 2008, Dockwise Ltd. announces that through its subsidiary Dockwise Shipping B.V., it has been contracted by Vyborg Shipyard to transport two topside structures from Korea to the Barents Sea and to install the units on semi-submersible hulls, using the float-over technique. Dockwise will receive USD 84m over the three-year contract, with the revenue contributing immediately to fourth quarter 2008 cash flows.

Vyborg Shipyard was commissioned by Gazflot (the operating arm of Gazprom) to construct two platforms designed for operation in the arctic conditions of the giant new Shtokman field, 600km offshore Murmansk. The first topside structure is scheduled to be loaded end April 2010 for installation between July and August 2010; the second at end October 2010 for installation around February 2011. The structures will be transported from Geoje Island, Korea, to the assembly locations in the Murmansk harbour area. Each topside is estimated to weigh around 22,000 tons.

Gazprom makes Yamal LNG partner list
Russia's Gazprom is considering US giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips for its liquefied natural gas project in Russia's Arctic Yamal region, its deputy chairman said today.

"The list (of possible participants) is currently being made, but we do not exclude majors such as ExxonMobil and Conoco from joining the project," quoted Alexander Medvedev.

He also said Gazprom could work in gas projects in Alaska with Conoco in exchange for the US major gaining access to the Yuzhno Tambeisky deposits in Arctic Yamal. - "But nothing concrete has been decided yet."

Gazprom Neft weighs up MMG swap
The Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region Government and Salym Petroleum Development N.V. (SPD) signed the Cooperation Agreement for 2009-2013 in Khanty-Mansiysk. The Governor of Yugra Alexander Filipenko and SPD CEO Harry Brekelmans signed the Agreement. This document will replace the current three-year agreement that expires by this year end.

New agreement covers extension of mutually beneficial cooperation aimed to further development of the autonomous region's industrial and scientific potential, application of the world high technologies in hydrocarbons exploration, oil production and processing, associated petroleum gas use and advanced environmental technologies.

Russia to build new pipeline
Russian gas giant Gazprom announced that it would build a pipeline directly to Georgia's rebel region of South Ossetia because of problems with natural gas supplies to the enclave after the recent war with Georgia. Gazprom said the new pipeline was needed because the current pipeline goes through the territory of Georgia proper.

Kupriyanov said the pipeline had been damaged and added that supplies were complicated by the fact that Gazprom had no direct transit agreement with Georgia for gas supplies through its territory to South Ossetia, said a Reuters note.

Rosneft to spend billions on Arctic fleet
Russian state-owned oil major Rosneft says it by year 2030 will need to construct 193 oil exploration and production units as well as vessels in order to meet the objectives of its shelf development programme.

The oil company, the biggest in Russia, intends to acquire 31 offshore licenses, among them on the northern shelf. For the development of the fields, the company will need 22 stationary platforms and ten mobile drilling rigs.

"Nord Stream on track for 2011 startup"
The Baltic Sea gas pipeline project, Nord Stream, is on track to deliver first gas in the fourth quarter of 2011 as it previously promised,

"We're absolutely on track to deliver the project on time and we are in budget," financial director Paul Corcoran said to Reuters.

His comments came as a relief to those supporting the 7.4 billion euros ($9.34 billion) project, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said recently that it could be scrapped if Europe continues to delay the project. The EU has identified the plan to pump 55 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually to Europe via Germany - involving Russia's Gazprom, Germany's E.ON and BASF and Dutch Gasunie - as a key project to ensure secure gas supplies for Europe. But EU lawmakers have called for a new investigation into the Nord Stream's environmental impact.

Vantage Drilling Company Selects AMOS from SpeTec
Vantage Drilling, a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, has chosen both the AMOS Business Suite for Maintenance and Purchasing and the AMOS2 Enterprise Suite for Quality Management throughout its fleet.

Vantage is dedicated to building and operating offshore rigs including technologically advanced dynamically-positioned Drillships and ultra-premium Baker Marine Pacific Class Jack-ups. Its first rig "The Emerald Driller" is scheduled for completion before Christmas 2008 at the PPL Shipyard in Singapore and is subject to a two-year drilling contract.

Brodospas also chooses AMOS
SpecTec (branch office in Croatia), has signed an Agreement for the delivery of AMOS Business Suite to Brodospas p.l.c., Split based shipping company. Software license includes Maintenance and Purchase as well as Quality and Safety modules.

New initiatives for developing Kazakhstan's oil and gas resources announced at KIOGE
The KIOGE Exhibition & Conference, Kazakhstan's leading oil and gas event, took place on 7-10 October in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

ITE's Oil & Gas Director, Graeme Coombes, explains the significance of the event in Kazakhstan, "Over 16 years, KIOGE has developed a reputation for being a source of the most up-to-date information about the oil and gas industry. Major new initiatives are regularly announced at the event and this year was no exception". This year, the two-day conference attracted a record number of delegates - 1,285.

A number of new initiatives and projects were announced during the KIOGE Conference. Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Sauat Mynbayev, revealed that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between KazMunayGas National Company (Kazakhstan), ConocoPhillips (US) and Mubadala Development (UAE), agreeing the terms for exploring and developing the N Block on the Caspian shelf. In addition, he announced that Kazakhstan is planning operations to develop the Satpayev and Darkhan shelf blocks.

Finally, Mr. Kiinov announced that a major issue for the industry has been resolved - from 1 January 2009, the price for gas exported through Russia will be determined according to the price in Europe minus GazProm's tariff and margin.

BP to restart last Azeri platform
A BP-led group will resume production in late December at the last Azeri offshore platform that remains shut after a gas leak in September, Azeri state energy company Socar said.

BP in September suspended oil production at two platforms, Western and Central Azeri, of the giant Caspian Sea deposit, Azeri-Chirag-Gyuneshli (ACG), due to a gas leak. It resumed work at Western Azeri in October.

"We will resume oil production at Central Azeri in the end of December," Socar chief Rovnag Abdullayev told reporters. ACG is the main source of oil for the BP-operated Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, which runs from the fields in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea to the Turkish Mediterranean coast.

Russia-China talks to pick up
Russia will resume talks with China over $25 billion in loans as part of a broader deal with Beijing over crude supplies within days, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko recently announced. The loans are of a crucial importance for Russian oil firms, which need cash to refinance their heavy debts and fund growth at a time of plunging oil prices. China is discussing lending Russian state oil major Rosneft and pipeline monopoly Transneft up to $25 billion in loans while Beijing would secure deliveries of Russian crude for 20 years.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Moscow in October when the two countries agreed to jointly build a new overland supply route for Siberian oil to carry 300,000 barrels per day between the countries' trunk pipelines from 2009.

Gazprom not interested in Repsol
Russian energy giant Gazprom said it is not interested in buying 20% of Spanish energy company Repsol.

"Gazprom had and has no plans to buy 20% of Repsol," Sergei Kupriyanov, the Moscow-based company's spokesman recently stated. Gazprom supplies about a quarter of Europe's gas and has said it wants to expand into marketing and distribution, as well as liquefied natural gas.

Miller in under-investment warning
The world will face a shortage of oil supplies sooner than expected because companies already under-invest in production said Alexei Miller, chief executive of Russian gas monopoly.

"Oil companies are beginning to under-invest in production due to the financial crisis. I think it means that a supply shortage will come much earlier," he said. Gazprom controls Russia's fifth-largest oil producer, Gazprom Neft.

Daily Production Reaches 140,000 bopd at Salym oilfields
The total daily production from the Salym oil fields in Western Siberia, developed by Salym Petroleum Development N.V. (SPD), has reached 140,000 bopd (over 19,200 tone per day). SPD CEO Harry Brekelmans, commenting on the announcement, said: "Since October 2007, when SPD reached a 100,000 bopd milestone, we have continued increasing production volume in a systematic way by putting on stream new wells and optimizing production processes. Over this period, our daily production went up 1.4 times, which took us to the current benchmark of 140,000 bopd. We have produced over 37 million barrels (over 5 million tones) of oil year-to-date, which is more than 20% increase on our total oil production last year. SPD is steadily moving forward to its goal of becoming one of the best operating companies in Siberia."

Lukoil consider reducing 2009 spend
Russia's second biggest oil producer Lukoil could halve its 2009 capital spending programme to $4 billion if the global oil price falls below $45, chief executive Vagit Alekperov announced recently. Alekperov said that if Lukoil had to reduce the programme, the cut will mostly be applied to its refining projects and the company was not going to delay the launch of new deposits in west Siberia and the Caspian Sea.

"We have worked out three scenarios with oil price of $80, $65 and $45 per barrel," Reuters quoted Alekperov as telling reporters. "At $80 per barrel we will have investment programme of $8 billion, at the next scenario the programme will be less by $2 billion and at $45 the figure will be $4 billion."

TMK lines up ONGC pipe deal
TMK, Russia's largest producer of steel pipes for the energy sector, has said it had signed a deal to supply pipes to India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

Under the deal, TMK will supply ONGC with around 20,000 tones of seamless casing pipe over the next two years, Reuters quoted the company as saying in a statement. The pipes will be produced at the company's Volzhsky mill. TMK did not disclose the value of the deal. Yesterday, the company also said it had won a tender to supply pipes to Turkmenistan's national gas company.

Formation of CLYDEUNION – A Global Pumping Leader
Clyde Blowers, the East Kilbride--based group owned by Scottish entrepreneur Jim McColl, had reached agreement to purchase Textron's Fluid & Power Division. As a result of this transaction the former Textron company Union Pump, headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, will integrate with Clyde Pumps, the company formed by Jim McColl following the highly-publicised purchase in May 2007 from Weir Group of iconic company Weir Pumps based in Glasgow, Scotland.

These two leading pump companies have been re-branded as CLYDEUNION and its combined workforce of over 1400 will provide a comprehensive range of engineered centrifugal and reciprocating pumps as well as aftermarket parts and service from their global manufacturing facilities and joint venture companies in India and China.

Labels: Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Lukoil, news, oil gas, Rosneft, Russia, Shtokman, TNK BP

posted by The Rogtec Team @ 15:19  0 Comments