OREANDA-NEWS. September 24, 2013. Molikpaq - the first in Russia offshore stationary platform - has been installed in Piltun area of the Piltun Astokhskoye field back in 1998, fifteen years ago.

Molikpaq means “Big Wave” in the language of Inuit’s (the aborigines of North Canada). Before Sakhalin, the platform was used to produce oil in the Beaufort Sea of the Canadian Arctic offshore. Molikpaq has been permanently installed 16 kilometers away from the shoreline of Piltun Bay, the Sea of Okhotsk. Installation of the “Big Wave” expedited start of the Sakhalin-2 Project.

Before installation on the Sakhalin shelf, the platform underwent a complete upgrade, most of the equipment and controls have been replaced with more advanced systems. Significant part of the upgrades were carried out by Russian specialists. In particular, new spacer for the platform has been designed and built at Russian Defense Industry plants in just 14 months - record short period of time. It was also the first time in Russia when unique water injection and power modules have been manufactured for an offshore platform.

Molikpaq produced its first oil in Russia in July 1999. Today, the platform is producing about 45,000 barrels (7,200 cubic meters) of Vityaz - high grade light oil and about 1 million cubic meters of associated gas per day. Since 1999 and until August 2013 the platform produced over 25.5 million tons of oil and over 4.7 million cubic meters of gas.

Before 2008, the platform was producing oil for about six months a year, in the ice-free season only. Year-round production on Molikpaq started in December 2008.

Installation and operation of Molikpaq played significant role in developing oil and gas industry on Sakhalin Island. The platform has become the pioneer project in the development of offshore oil and gas fields in Russia.