OREANDA-NEWS. August 10, 2012. OJSC Orenburgneft (part of the TNK-BP Group of Companies) has improved the efficiency of its well drilling operations by cutting USD15 mln off drilling costs since 2010 through a skills enhancement program for technical specialists, reported the press-centre of TNK-BP.

TNK-BP is implementing an extensive program of further training for its technical staff. By continuously improving staff qualifications Orenburgneft has reduced the drilling cycle by over 30%: whereas at the beginning of the project it took 90 days to drill one well, it now takes an average of just 58 days and in some cases even 26 days. The project includes 16 drilling crews, and by 2014 the Company plans to scale-up its successful best practices to over 50 crews in the Orenburg area.

Eric Liron, TNK-BP Vice President, Wells, noted: “The further training program for technical staff is an important element of addressing the company’s strategic objectives. Improvements in production efficiency at mature fields, development of hard-to-recover reserves and new offshore projects in Vietnam require the very latest solutions and technologies. The skills enhancement program will raise the overall level of technical competencies amongst our staff by 30% by 2016.”