An oil and gas reservoir with reserves in place estimated at 85 million tonnes, and recoverable oil reserves of 26 million tonnes — equivalent to the size of an independent freestanding hydrocarbon field —has been discovered by Messoyakhaneftegaz during its integrated geological testing programme at the Zapadno-Messoyakhsky licence block, confirming the promise and economic viability of its development.

The deposit was discovered as a result of drilling an exploratory well, which delivered an inflow of “dry” crude. In addition to this, a number of key geological uncertainties regarding the structural model of the reservoir have also been eliminated. The characteristics of the new deposit are analogous to those of the main oil-bearing strata at the Vostochno-Messoyakhskoye field, now in commercial operation, meaning the business can utilise existing solutions — including horizontal drilling and multilateral well completion — at the Zapadny (Western) block.

Vadim Yakovlev, First Deputy CEO, Gazprom Neft, commented: “This new deposit, discovered within the Zapadno-Messoyakhsky license block, confirms the potential of the northern group of Yamal fields. The formation of a powerful Arctic cluster, which will secure the future of oil and gas production, is ongoing. Integrated work on resource base development, and the selection of effective solutions in exploratory drilling, are allowing us to systematically expand reserve volumes in a strategically important area.”

Source: gazprom-neft.com