OREANDA-NEWS. LUKOIL has completed the assembly of bearing blocks for the ice-resistant stationary platform, the central processing platform, the LQ (living quarters) module platform and the riser block at Vladimir Filanovsky field in the Caspian Sea.

The bearing blocks were assembled and fixed at the sea bed by means of a transport-and-installation barge, which has a crane with a loading capacity of 400 tons. The bearing blocks were fixed by means of piles exceeding 2 meters in diameter and wall thickness of up to 80 millimeters, hammered into the sea bed to a depth of 60 meters. Due to their large size the piles ensure safe positioning of the platforms, taking into account the possible extreme effects of ice and waves.

In addition, 77 kilometers of export subsea oil pipeline and 61 kilometers of subsea gas pipeline were constructed, as well as 40 kilometers of inter-field oil pipeline and 40 kilometers of inter-field gas pipeline, which connect the V.Filanovsky and Yu.Korchagin fields.

Thus, all major operations focused on the V. Filanovsky field facility development scheduled for 2013 have been successfully completed.

In 2014, topside sections will be mounted on the bearing blocks. The coming year will also witness the start of construction operations of onshore external transportation lines, namely, gas pipelines to the Stavrolen petrochemical enterprise located in Budennovsk, and an oil pipeline to the onshore oil intake facilities located in the immediate vicinity of the Komsomolskaya oil pumping station owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

In line with the field facility development plan, drilling at the field is scheduled to begin in 2014. Oil production will start by the end of 2015.