It Lies at Great Depths and Requires New Technologies. What is Special about Oil Production in Belarus?
Oil in Belarus lies at great depths, and its extraction requires the use of new technologies. The head of the Main Directorate of Natural Resources of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Vasily Kolb, spoke about this in the BELTA YouTube project “In fact: decisions of the First”.
“Our oil lies at great depths. The fact is that not only the rocks are complex, but also the conditions are such that the depth ranges from 1.5 km to 5 km. In general, the oil is light, low-sulfur. If you compare it with Russian Urals oil , then ours is better in quality. As for reserves, they are difficult to extract. Today, oil-bearing rocks are not represented by classic reservoirs, but by healed rocks. Therefore, they require new technologies,” said Vasily Kolb.
As for technology, horizontal well drilling is used in Belarus.
“Classical vertical drilling is present, but in order to increase oil recovery, horizontal or coiled tubing is carried out. All this requires costs. Belorusneft has created an institute that works on hard-to-recover reserves. At the same time, vertical drilling is preserved. The head of state has set the task of gradually increasing volumes Accordingly, the Scientific and Production Center for Geology has been tasked with applying new technologies for the search and exploration of hydrocarbons,” emphasized Vasily Kolb.
The number of wells directly affects the ability to obtain large volumes.
“There are a dozen wells in the field, but not all are productive. Oil is a type of mineral that requires careful study. We can drill wells and keep them mothballed. If today the field is not entirely profitable for us economically, then the next generation can reactivate,” he concluded.
