Yuri Masalkin, Director for Geological Exploration & Resource-Base Development of Gazprom Neft, said:
- Assuming geological prospecting is successful, the Yuzhno-Obsky license block’s resource base is going to make a major contribution to the development of the Arctic transport system
- We’re talking here about both long-term utilisation of company facilities (the unique Arctic Gates oil-transhipment terminal and the gas pipeline through the Gulf of Ob, which connects the south of the Yamal Peninsula with the Unified Gas Supply System) and increasing freight traffic along Russia’s major strategic logistics corridor - the Northern Sea Route
Seismic surveying involved 6 specialist vessels, equipped to work at ultra-shallow depths of less than 7 metres.
Optimum planning meant field investigations completed in just one short season.
Some 410 km2 of the license block was covered under 3D seismic surveying, with a further 115 km of 2D seismic surveying being undertaken in the surrounding waters of the license block.
Igor Rustamov, Director General of Gazprom Neft Shelf, commented:
- In the 2 years since acquiring this license, we have studied previously acquired 2D seismic data, updated our geological model and assessed the resource potential of this block
- The 2021 surveying season has seen us gather radically new geological information, which has allowed us to develop approaches for building the 1st exploratory-appraisal well
Going forward, the block will form part of Gazprom Neft’s major industrial cluster in the south of the Yamal Peninsula.
The company is considering the possibility of developing this asset by utilising infrastructure at its Novoportovskoye field.