OREANDA-NEWS. August 10, 2016. Gazpromneft Shelf, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft, has brought a further two production wells (its third and fourth) into production at the Prirazlomnoye field, as well as its second and third injection wells. Daily production on the Prirazlomnaya ice-resistant offshore rig has, as a result, now breached 6,000 tonnes. Drilling for the four new wells, undertaken by Russia’s Gazprom Bureniye LLC, ran to more than 19,000 metres.

Development of the Prirazlomnoye field, under implementation by Gazprom Neft on the Pechora Sea continental shelf, envisages the commissioning of 32 wells, the first production well having been commissioned in December 2013.

The Prirazlomnaya rig is equipped with technology to prevent any ingress of production of drilling waste into the sea. The project is being implemented on the basis of “zero emissions”, with waste either re-injected into the strata or transported onshore for further recycling. All wellheads are located within the platform, the base of which then acts as a buffer between the well and the open sea. In addition to which, all of the wells are specially equipped to prevent the possibility of any uncontrolled emission of oil or gas and can, if necessary, be hermetically sealed within 10 seconds.

Gennady Lubin, Executive Director, Gazpromneft Shelf, commented: “The commissioning of these new wells is fully in line with planned field development. Each new well signifies an expansion in capacity and an increase in production volumes — something that is only possible under stringent and consistent compliance with industrial and ecological safety standards.”

Prirazlomnoye is the first — and, thus far, the only, field on the Russian Arctic Shelf on which oil production is ongoing. Commercial development of the project commenced in December 2013. The new “ARCO” oil produced at the Prirazlomnoye field was first launched on the international market in April 2014. Some 10 million barrels of oil have now been delivered to customers in Europe since the field was brought into development.

The Prirazlomnoye oilfield is located in the Pechora Sea, 60 kilometres from the shore. Recoverable reserves are in the order of 70 million tonnes. The licence holder is Gazpromneft Shelf LLC.

An ice-resistant offshore rig, “Prirazlomnaya”, was designed and constructed (in Russia), specifically for development of this field, capable of handling all technological operations — drilling, production, storage, and the preparation and offloading of the finished product. The Prirazlomnaya rig is designed for use in the most extreme environmental and climatic conditions, meets the most stringent safety requirements, and can withstand maximum ice loads. The offloading line for the pumping of oil to tankers is equipped with an emergency shut-down system, which is activated instantaneously.