Gazprom Sinks 1st Well at New Yamal Field
Russia's Gazprom has began drilling its first production well at the Kharasaveyskoye gas field, its next major project on Russia's northern Yamal Peninsula, the company said on June 12. The well, which will reach a depth of 2,540 metres, is the first of 16 that Gazprom aims to complete this year.
Gazprom estimates that its deposits on Yamal could one day flow up to 360bn m3/yr – equal to almost half of Russia's current output. But so far the company only has one active field in the area, Bovanenkovskoye, where production is currently ramping up to its third-phase capacity of 115bn m3/yr.
Kharasaveyskoye will be its second. Production is due to start in 2023 and reach an output of 32bn m3/yr. It will feature 236 wells, a gas treatment plant, a booster compressor station and various power and transport infrastructure. Its gas will be shipped via a 106-km pipeline to Bovanenkovskoye, from where it can be pumped into Russia's main gas grid for supply to Europe.
As Gazprom's production base moves further north, it has been trying to expand the 55bn m³/yr Nord Stream pipeline. This is a shorter route for deliveries to its main European markets from Yamal but it has met with political opposition from some EU states as well as the US.
Gazprom estimates Kharasaveyskoye's recoverable gas at 2 trillion m3. The company plans additional development phases to target the field's deeper Neocomian and Jurassic layers, which would raise output even higher. It also aims to develop these reservoirs at Bovanenkovskoye, raising production to 140bn m3/yr.
Gazprom's third project in the Arctic is expected to be Kamennomysskoye-more, just off the coast of Yamal in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Ob. It recently ordered a platform for its development.