OREANDA-NEWS.On March 6, 2007, Oleg Chemezov, General Director of TNK-BP Siberia, subsidiary of TNK-BP in Tyumen, met with William Burns, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of USA in Russia, at the Tyumen Petroleum Research Center. The ambassador called this meeting with the management of TNK-BP a part of his mission of exploring the possibilities for American companies in the Tyumen Region. William Burns visited Tyumen for the first time as the ambassador, and the aim of his visit was studying the energy potential of the region. Mr. Burns emphasized that the Tyumen Region is playing today a central role in the growing influence of Russia on the energy future of the planet.

William Burns saw the bank of core samples taken by experts of TNK-BP all over Russia. During his excursion to the laboratories of the Tyumen Petroleum Research Center, Mr. Burns was shown all stages of primary treatment, systematization, and studies of core samples. The next stage of his acquaintance with the Tyumen Petroleum Research Center was demonstration of a three-dimensional model of the Samotlor field, one of the oldest and largest fields where 17,000 wells have been drilled and 2,5 billion tons of oil produced. Specialists of the Tyumen Petroleum Research Center worked out a geological and hydrodynamic model of the Samotlor field reflecting all changes in the field since 1973, such as changes in the saturation of the formation, appearance of new wells, changes caused by water injection, etc. The costs of works for sector modeling and development of recommendations for raising the efficiency of geological exploration works amounted to approximately 2 million rubles.

Answering the question of Mr. Burns about the accuracy of the applied technologies, Oleg Chemezov noted that the experience of field modeling allows raising the efficiency of taking samples: “Today, only the latest and most advanced technologies make production of remaining oil reserves possible and allow us to produce hard-to recover oil production of which was economically inexpedient earlier. The model makes it possible to get to thin layers with an accuracy of 1-2 meters.”

The meeting parties discussed issues related to the investment policy of the Uvat project and the entire company. “According to the plans, investments into development of fields of the Uvat group this year will exceed 19 billion rubles. These are our largest investments so far, and they will ensure a production level of approximately 10 million tons in about 3-5 years,” commented Oleg Chemezov. “Our British partners were very cautious about this project, but now everything is going on well, regional and federal authorities are supporting us, and an agreement of cooperation has been signed with the Administration of the Tyumen Region.”