OREANDA-NEWS. The PJSC LUKOIL Board of Directors has reviewed the preliminary results for the first half of 2015 and progress in the realization of budget and investment programs for 2015, in Moscow today.

As a result of geological exploration carried out by the company within the reporting period, the hydrocarbon recoverable reserves increment exceeded 11 million tons of reference fuel, which by 62% exceeded the similar figure of the first six months of 2014. Five fields and ten hydrocarbon deposits were discovered.

Hydrocarbon production by LUKOIL Group over the first six months of 2015 rose nearly by 5% as compared with the similar period of 2014, thus totaling 430 million barrels of oil equivalent. The associated petroleum gas utilization rate at the company's enterprises in Russia exceeded 91%.

Oil processing at the company's refineries (including mini-refineries and the stake in the Zeeland project) dropped by 5.4% against the first six months of 2014 and totaled 30.5 million tons, including 20.2 million tons at Russian refineries.

LUKOIL Group organizations have contributed RUB 458 billion in taxes and customs fees to the Russian Federation budget.