Prirazlomnoye field

Prirazlomnoye field
(Приразломное месторождение)
Location of Prirazlomnoye field
(Приразломное месторождение)
Country Russia
Region Pechora Sea
Offshore/onshore offshore
Coordinates 69°15′7″N 57°20′34″E / 69.25194°N 57.34278°E / 69.25194; 57.34278Coordinates: 69°15′7″N 57°20′34″E / 69.25194°N 57.34278°E / 69.25194; 57.34278
Operator Sevmorneftegaz
Partner Gazprom
Field history
Discovery 1989
Start of production 2011
Production
Estimated oil in place 610 million barrels (~8.3×10^7 t)

Prirazlomnoye field is an Arctic offshore oilfield located in the Pechora Sea, south of Novaya Zemlya, Russia. The field development is based on the single stationary Prirazlomnaya platform, which is the first Arctic-class ice-resistant oil platform in the world. Commercial drilling was planned to begin in early 2012,[1] however it was delayed at least until the Spring of 2013 due to "safety concerns".[2] This is the first commercial offshore oil development in the Arctic. Serious safety concerns have been raised about Prirazlomnoye platform, citing use of decommissioned equipment (the 1984 TLP upper section of the rig), however Gazprom’s oil spill response plan for Prirazlomnaya was renewed in 2014,[3] and most questions found its answers. [4] [5] The Arctic Prirazlomnoye field produced the 10 millionth barrel of Russian North Arctic Oil in March 2016.[6]

History

The field was discovered in 1989. In 1993, the development license was issued to Rosshelf, a subsidiary of Gazprom, and the field was to be operational by 2001.[7] In June 2000, Gazprom and German energy company Wintershall signed a memorandum on cooperation in developing the Prirazlomnoye field.[8] Also Rosneft wanted to join the project.[9] In 2002, the license was transferred to Sevmorneftegaz, a joint venture of Gazprom and Rosneft.[10] Later Sevmorneftegaz became a wholly owned subsidiary of Gazprom. There is a plan to pass the Prirazlomnoye development to Gazprom Neft, an oil arm of Gazprom.[11] The name Prirazlomnoye means "at the geological fault".

Reserves

Prirazlomnoye field has reserves of 610 million barrels (97 million cubic metres).[12]

Development

The field development concept is based on the single stationary Prirazlomnaya platform.[12] The oil platform, constructed by Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, was expected to be completed by 2011 and after that the drilling would start.[11][13] The Prirazlomnaya platform was equipped with the topside of the decommissioned 1984 tension-leg platform (TLP) Conoco's Hutton field, which was the first ever built tension-leg platform.[14][15] Produced oil will be transported by double acting shuttle oil tankers Mikhail Ulyanov and Kirill Lavrov, built in Admiralty Shipyard and operated by Sovcomflot, to floating storage and offloading vessel Belokamenka, located in Kola Bay near Murmansk.[12][16] Gazprom considers to build an oil refinery in Teriberka at the location of the LNG plant of the Shtokman's development for processing oil from Prirazlomnoye and Dolginskoye fields.[17]

The concept of the development was designed by Vniigaz Institute, a subsidiary of Gazprom.[12] The estimated maximum annual oil production volume is expected to be 6.6 million tonnes. The total investment is expected to be about US$1.03 billion.[7]

The first oil from Prirazlomnaya

The construction of the Prirazlomnaya took almost a decade.[18] The platform installation was towed to the Pechora Sea in August 2011, however it took 2.5 years before the production started in December 2013.[19] In 2014, Gazprom expects to deliver at least 300000 tones of the Arctic crude (ARCO).[19][20]

Environmental issues

According to study of possible Arctic oil spill scenarios from the oil platform Prirazlomnaya completed by Russian scientists, together with environmentalists from Greenpeace and WWF-Russia Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund Gazprom is not prepared to deal adequately with a spill associated with oil production. The Russian Ministry of Emergency confirmed that Gazprom’s oil spill response plan expired in July 2012, making any drilling the company undertakes in the Arctic illegal until a new one is submitted and approved.[21][22] On 24 August 2012, a group of Greenpeace activists under Kumi Naidoo scaled the platform and put up a banner "Don't kill the Arctic".[23][24]

On 18 September 2013, Greenpeace's ship Arctic Sunrise circled the Prirazlomnaya oil rig while three crew attempted to board the platform. In response, the Russian Coast Guard seized control of the ship and detained the activists.[25][26][27] The ship was subsequently towed by a coastguard vessel to the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk. The crew consisted of thirty members from sixteen different nationalities. The Russian government has intended to charge the Greenpeace activists with piracy, which carries a maximum penalty of fifteen years of imprisonment.[25] It was the stiffest response that Greenpeace has encountered from a government since the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985, said Phil Radford, executive director of Greenpeace USA.[28] The Netherlands launched legal action to free 30 Greenpeace activists charged in Russia with piracy. Arctic Sunrise is a Dutch-flagged ship. Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said the Netherlands had applied to the UN's Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which resolves maritime disputes between states. The Netherlands view the ship's detention as unlawful.[29]

References

  1. ↑ "Приразломная" отправилась на работу в Печорское море [Prirazlomnaya moves to the Pechora Sea] (Press release) (in Russian). Sevmash. 2011-08-19. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  2. ↑ Алексей Топалов. (2012-09-21). Облом с Приразломным (in Russian). Газета.ru. Archived from the original on 2012-12-23. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
  3. ↑ Gazprom’s oil spill response plan
  4. ↑ "oil rig sinking casts doubt Prirazlomnoye". DailyCaller.
  5. ↑ "Prirazlomnoye communications installed". BarentsObserver.
  6. ↑ "10th million barrel of arctic oil produced in Prirazlomnoye". UPI. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Zhdannikov, Dmitry (2008-03-31). "Gazprom ups pipeline costs, delays oil project". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  8. ↑ "German-Russian Memorandum signed; Wintershall and Gazprom successful in realising their Prirazlomnoye project". M2 Presswire. 2000-06-20. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  9. ↑ "Rosneft wants a piece of Prirazlomnoye". FSU Energy. 2001-02-09. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  10. ↑ "Ministry grants Sevmorneftegaz Shtokmanov, Prirazlomnoye licenses". Energy News. 2002-11-28. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  11. 1 2 "Foreign companies may develop Barents Sea oilfield". RosBusinessConsulting. 2008-12-09. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Prirazlomnoye Oilfield - Barents Sea, Russia". offshore-technology.com. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  13. ↑ Anatoly Medetsky (2008-07-15). "Putin Slams Miller Over Access To Pipeline". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  14. ↑ "Platform hull from Murmansk to Mexico". Barents Observer. 2008-11-27. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  15. ↑ "Case Studies". The United Kingdom Offshore Oil and Gas Industry Association. Archived from the original on 12 July 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  16. ↑ "Russian shipyard starts building 2nd ice-class oil tanker". RIA Novosti. 2008-11-10. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  17. ↑ "Gazprom considers oil refinery in Shtokman village". Barents Observer. 6 February 2009. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  18. ↑ "Delayed Arctic breakthrough". Barents Observer. 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
  19. 1 2 "First oil from Prirazlomnaya". Barents Observer. 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
  20. ↑ "Russia opens oil sluices in Arctic as rickety Prirazlomnaya platform begins production". Bellona. 2014-04-23.
  21. ↑ "Prirazlomnaya oil spill would threaten Russian Arctic with irreparable disaster: study". Greenpeace Russia. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  22. ↑ "Environmentalists warn of risk of oil production in the Russian Arctic". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  23. ↑ Baczynska, Gabriela (2012-08-24). "Greenpeace activists climb Russian Arctic oil platform". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  24. ↑ Vasilyeva, Natalya (2012-08-24). "Greenpeace Activists Storm Russia's Prirazlomnaya Oil Platform". The Huffington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  25. 1 2 Shaun Walker (24 September 2013). "Russia to charge Greenpeace activists with piracy over oil rig protest". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  26. ↑ "Greenpeace International responds to allegations from Russian authorities". Greenpeace International. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  27. ↑ "Armed Russian guards storm Greenpeace vessel in Arctic". Channel News Asia. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  28. ↑ Kathy Lally and Will Englund. "U.S. Greenpeace captain jailed in Russia". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  29. ↑ Dutch take legal action over Greenpeace ship in Russia BBC 4 October 2013
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