Gazprom Neft significantly increases reserves in Eastern Siberia

Gazprom Neft has significantly increased the reserves of its fields in Eastern Siberia. The State Reserve Commission (SRC) approved the decision to increase recoverable reserves in the Chonskaya group of fields (Vakunaysky, Tympuchikansky and Ignyalinsky), which are adjacent to each other and situated on the border between the Irkutsk Region and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
The Chonskaya group's recoverable C1 and C2 oil reserves have grown by over 100 million tonnes, while its gas reserves have risen by more than 175 billion cubic meters. Following the increase, the Chonskaya group's recoverable C1 and C2 reserves will be around 125 million tonnes of oil and 225 billion cubic meters of gas.
Gazprom Neft will continue studying the Chonskaya group of fields with a purpose to develop existing reserves and to discover new ones.
"Further exploration of the Chonsky project areas will enable Gazprom Neft to expand the oil reserves of these fields significantly and to take the necessary investment decisions in order to develop these areas successfully," commented Vadim Yakovlev, First Deputy CEO of Gazprom Neft.
A licence for the Tympuchikansky area was received in 2005, and for the Vakunaysky and Ignyalinsky fields in 2007.
The Chonskaya group is situated 80 km from the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline. The group currently has a total of 57 wells. The licence holder is Gazpromneft-Angara, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gazprom Neft.
The increase in the Chonskaya group's reserves was made possible by drilling an exploratory well, re-testing previously drilled ones, and re-interpreting all of the existing geological and geophysical information, including information gathered from new 3D seismic exploration work and electrical exploration.
As a result of this work, a unified seismic model of the entire territory of licensed areas was prepared, which will be refined by subsequent geological surveys.
More than 10 prospecting and exploratory wells are expected to be drilled, 2-3 previously drilled wells are to be re-tested each year, and 3,000 linear kilometers and 600 square kilometers respectively of electrical exploration and 3D seismic surveys are to be carried out within the licence areas over the next three years.