Russia’s Existing Gas Projects Will Supply No More Than 60% of Production by 2050
The current state of gas field development in Russia shows that 70% of actively producing reserves have already been extracted, according to Igor Shpurov, Head of the State Commission on Mineral Reserves (GKZ).
While Russia’s overall gas reserve life stands at 102 years, the remaining operational life of currently active production assets is only 54 years.
To fulfill the long-term development strategy of the gas sector, Shpurov estimates that Russia must gradually bring into production 11 trillion cubic meters of hard-to-recover reserves, in addition to identifying another 5 trillion cubic metersof economically viable resources through exploration.
According to updated GKZ data, Russia’s recoverable natural gas reserves amount to 63.4 trillion cubic meters, while total forecast resources (categories D0 + D1 + D2) are estimated at 216.6 trillion cubic meters. Experts highlight a key structural issue: 54% of the current resource base consists of hard-to-recover reserves.
A previous report by the Russian Ministry of Energy noted that nearly half of the country’s reserves are classified as hard-to-recover — either due to complex geological conditions or the harsh environments in which many fields are located.
