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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

Shell discusses further cooperation with Gazprom
Supermajor Shell will discuss further cooperation with Russian state-run Gazprom on energy projects in Russia's Far East, its was announced recently, reflecting industry hopes that lower oil prices will prompt countries with resources to offer better deals.

Anglo-Dutch Shell boss Jeroen van der Veer told Reuters in an interview the company would discuss more projects with the Russian gas giant after launching the $22 billion Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas project.

Van der Veer said the Russian Far East was within Shell and Gazprom's "area of mutual interests (AMI)".

"Based on the success (of Sakhalin-2), the partners will discuss with each other how we can give hands and feet to this AMI," the executive said.

SIIRTEC NIGI AWARDED THE GAS TREATING PLANT
Siirtec Nigi S.p.A. has announced that it has been awarded a contract by OAO Gazprom to implement the biggest silica gel plant in the world to be located at
the Portovaya Compression Station near the Russian town of Vyborg. Contract value is in the region of 400 million Euros. The contract is part of the ambitious Nord Stream Project which includes the 1,220 km gas pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to the European Union via the Baltic Sea. The award follows highly competitive international tender over several months.

The plant will dehydrate and control the hydrocarbon dew point of 170 million cubic meter per day (6 billion cubic feet per day) of natural gas to reach the stringent specifications required by the submarine pipeline. The plant, operating at 75 bar (1088 psi), will use high performance e silica gel manufactured by BASF.
Siirtec Nigi's scope of work includes the supply of technology, engineering and procurement of equipment and materials to be delivered in two phases (October 2010 and October 2011). In addition, the company will be responsible for erection supervision and start-up activities.


Kremlin unveils 126m barrel oil stash plan
Russia is working toward creating an oil and products reserve and could stockpile up to 16 million tonnes (126.4 million barrels) to take advantage of low oil prices, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin recently told reporters today.

"We are getting ready for an Opec session, which will take place in March, and we are studying reserve options," Reuters quoted Sechin as saying.

He added low oil prices were prompting producers to think about reducing output.
"Such a reduction could reach up to 16 million tonnes, depending on market conditions. It is possible to study the possibility of buying this crude from the market," he said.

"You will agree that, at such prices, it is wise to talk about stockpiling options.

Slavneft ties up $100m loan
Russian gas giant Gazprom's banking arm Gazprombank has handed oil producer Slavneft a two-and-a-half-year $100 million loan to help it fund ongoing activities.
Slavneft is a joint venture between Gazprom Neft, Gazprom's oil arm, and TNK-BP, half-owned by UK supermajor BP.

Russia in Bolivia pipe talks
Russian gas giant Gazprom is in talks to build a system of pipelines in Bolivia, President Dmitry Medvedev said as the Kremlin launches a new push to boost its influence in South America.

Medvedev announced the plan after talks in the Kremlin with Bolivian President Evo Morales, whose visit to Moscow comes soon after similar trips by fellow leftist leaders Raul Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

"We spoke about Russia helping our friends in Bolivia with hydrocarbons and the construction of a gas transport system," Medvedev told Reuters after the meeting.
"A memorandum was signed with Gazprom, whose co-operation is moving into the practical sphere," he said, adding that work on the "strategic project" would run to 2030.

Medvedev said Russian efforts to boost ties with South America were not aimed at countering the US, traditionally the dominant power in the region.

Russia seals $25bn China cash for oil deal
China has agreed to lend Russian oil companies $25 billion in return for supplies from huge new East Siberian oilfields that will power its economy for the next two decades, a source close to the talks said today.

Russia's state oil champion Rosneft and pipeline monopoly Transneft signed a long-delayed deal to borrow the money from China Development Bank during talks in China, the source told Reuters. Rosneft and Transneft declined immediate comment.

Beijing has abundant cash that Moscow needs to access in the credit crunch as its government is running major deficits and some of its companies are finding it difficult to repay loans and borrow project finance on commercial markets.
The agreement, originally planned for the end of 2008, did not come easily and talks stalled in November last year over disagreements about interest rates and state guarantees China sought from the Russian government.

TNK-BP turns on Uvat taps
TNK-BP turned on the taps at the Urna and Ust-Tegus fields, in the Uvat area of West Siberia's Tyumen oil patch, and pledged to invest $500 million this year to increase output in a region where most other major deposits have been depleted.
TNK-BP plans to produce 1.5 million tonnes (11.8 million barrels) of oil from the Urna and Ust-Tegus fields this year.

Output will be ramped up to a peak of 9 million tonnes per year (71 million barrels) by 2020, officials said.

TNK-BP holds 15 licences in the region, with the Urna and Ust-Tegus fields lying in the eastern sector of the province. Crude from the two licence areas was fed into the 264-kilometre spur that links up with the national pipeline network run by Transneft . TNK-BP, has invested $925 million in the project to date, which it completed ahead of the original start-up date of 1 April.

The company last year launched another major project, the Verkhnechonskoye field in East Siberia.

EU united on Nord Stream and Nabucco
The European Union (EU) is united on the natural gas pipelines its members aim to build in a bid to diversify block's supply and import routes, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs recently said.

Piebalgs spoke of unity after German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the 27-member block to support a Nord Stream pipeline, which would bring Russian natural gas under the Baltic Sea directly to Germany. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country chairs the EU until June 30, said that Nord Stream, as a pipeline deepening the EU's reliance on Russian gas, was "a direct threat to the Nabucco project" that would skip Russia as a supplier.

Poland and the Baltic states have been the chief opponents of the Nord Stream pipeline, which bypasses them. Piebalgs said that while Poland would prefer other routes Warsaw was "not hostile" to the Russian-German line.

Gazprom plans to raise shelf oil and gas reserves by 2020
Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said its hydrocarbon reserves on Russia's Arctic Shelf will increase by 5.6 bn tons of fuel equivalent between this year and 2020.

Gazprom said Russia currently had around 100 bn tons of fuel equivalent on the enormous shelf, which covers many time zones and is partly frozen. Around 80 % of these are gas.

"In 2005-2008, Gazprom's reserves on the Russian shelf grew by 1.5 bn tons of fuel equivalent as a result of geological exploration work," Gazprom said.
Last year, total hydrocarbon reserves held by Gazprom, the world's largest gas producer and supplier of a quarter of Europe's gas, rose by a record 10 % after the government granted it 10 major gas deposits and its oil reserves were boosted.

Sakhalin 3 Operator Selected After Prospecting
The operator of the Sakhalin-3 project will be determined as soon as geological prospecting is over, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin reported. Asked about the chances of the two major rivals - Gazprom and Rosneft - Sechin noted that the most active bidder would win, adding that if the bulk of the project's reserve is gas, Gazprom would certainly be more willing than Rosneft. However, it is still too early to draw any conclusions, Sechin observed. He pointed out the difficult economic situation, which discouraged interest in large projects

New Energy Source Comes Onstream at Sakhalin II
President Dmitry Medvedev opened Russia's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant built by Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Limited (Sakhalin Energy).

The LNG plant is the heart of the Sakhalin II Project, one of the largest integrated oil and gas projects in the world.

The innovative and challenging Sakhalin II construction is near completion, and a new major energy source is now coming onstream. The infrastructure includes three offshore platforms, an onshore processing facility, 300 km of offshore pipelines and 1600 kms of onshore pipelines, an oil export facility and the LNG plant.


Rosneft Reviews 2008 Results and Approves 2009 Business Plan
According to the preliminary results, in 2008, Rosneft's oil and gas condensate production amounted to 110.1 mln tonnes, 9% more compared to the prior year. Organic production growth exceeded 4%, which is the best indicator among the Company's peers. This growth is primarily explained by further development of Rosneft’s extensive reserve base that was underpinned by increased production drilling at the Company’s core upstream enterprises. In 2008, Rosneft drilled 2,547 th. meters of production wells (up 6.3% compared to 2007) and commissioned 658 new wells. Marketable gas output totaled 11.2 bcm, an increase of 1% compared to 2007. Furthermore, Rosneft completed 58.7 th. meters of exploration wells, which enabled the Company to add 141 mln tonnes of oil and 36 bcm of gas of the Russian ABC1 category, thus fully replacing volumes produced in 2008.

Rosneft Approves 2009 Business Plan
At Rosneft's recent meeting, the Board of Directors also approved Rosneft's business plan for 2009 that envisages further growth in all operating indicators amid unfavorable macroeconomic environment.

In particular, in 2009, Rosneft plans to increase its oil and gas condensate output by 2% to 112.3 mln tonnes, primarily through accelerated production drilling (704 new wells) and the launch of the Vankor oil and gas field. Commissioning of a booster station at the Priobskoye field is expected to bring marketable gas production to 11.9 bcm, 5.8% more as compared to 2007.

To ensure continued reserve base expansion, in 2009, the amount of exploration work will be maintained at the 2008 level. Rosneft plans to complete 56.3 th. meters of exploration drilling, and to shoot 9.1 th. linear kilometers and 2.4 th. square kilometers of 2D and 3D seismic, respectively.

StatoilHydro Investing in Arctic Russia's Future
Russian and Norwegian dignitaries, students and journalists turned out last week for education grant awards and cooperation signing ceremonies between StatoilHydro and schools in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.

"This is a very important occasion for north-west Russia and StatoilHydro. We're signing agreements to train local students for opportunities in the region's emerging oil and gas industry," said signatory Bengt-Lie Hansen, StatoilHydro president Russia.

Mutual benefit
"These programs are not only important for north-west Russia and the schools, but for StatoilHydro's efforts to be an Arctic champion!" said Mr Lie Hansen.

"A cooperation between people means that you believe in an idea. We believe in you and I hope you believe in us. Together, we can make a difference."

Aladdin Oil & Gas Reports Possible Oil Discovery in Orenburg
Aladdin Oil & Gas Company ASA has during the drilling of an exploration well (*101) revealed a petroleum system in a reef structure. A 6m column has been encountered with clear indications of hydrocarbons.

Aladdin Oil & Gas Company ASA acquired 3D seismic on the Bogdanovskaya license early last year, and during the interpretation a possible reef structure was identified. The company decided that it wanted to drill this structure, and a well was spudded on it 24th December 2008. The well is planned to be drilled to 950m, and the top of the reef was expected around 650m depth.


The well will be drilled to the planned TD of 950m, and is currently at 698m depth. The company hopes to find further hydrocarbons as the drilling proceeds.
Analysis of the electric logs will decide what intervals can be tested, before any commerciality of the discovery can be considered.


CALEDUS BUCKS ECONOMIC DOWNTURN WITH FORECAST FOR MAJOR GROWTH
Caledus, the Aberdeen headquartered well construction technology oil and gas service sector business, has unveiled plans for significant global expansion with forecasts of 250 employees worldwide and turnover of £50 million by 2012.

A three-year vision, agreed by the company's senior management team at a meeting in Aberdeen recently, will see Caledus reach its anticipated expansion through organic growth, strategic acquisitions and alliances, incorporating new product lines where appropriate to enhance the business.

This year Caledus predicts revenue will grow from £8million to £14million with an increase in jobs globally from 43 to 65. Staff will increase at the company's key strategic bases in Aberdeen (6), Perth Australia (3), Dubai (3) and Houston (3) while a new office will be opened in Kuala Lumpur in March and additional staff will be employed in Norway and Angola.

Labels: Gazprom, news, oil gas, Rosneft, Russia, Sakhalin, Shell, Slavneft, TNK BP, Uvat

posted by The Rogtec Team @ 12:38  0 Comments