Gazpromneft Sakhalin, a Gazprom Neft subsidiary, has acquired a license for the exploration, development, and production of hydrocarbons at the Ayashsky block, located on the continental shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk.
Gazprom Neft said on Tuesday that the license, awarded by the Federal Subsoil Resources Management Agency (Rosnedra), would run until July 1, 2039.
The Ayashsky block is located in an already proven oil- and gas-bearing region next to the developed fields of the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 projects and forms part of the Sakhalin-3 project.
The Sakhalin-1 project, operated by Exxon Neftegas Limited, is one of the largest single international direct investments in Russia and includes three oil and gas fields — Chayvo, Odoptu, and Arkutun Dagi — located off the northeast coast of Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East while Sakhalin-2 includes the Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye oil and gas fields in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Ayashsky, Kirinsky, and Vostochno-Odoptinsky fields are integral parts of the Sakhalin-3 project. Gas from the project forms the main resource base for the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas transmission system.
The company said that the recoverable reserves at this latest Gazprom Neft asset were estimated at more than 100 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe). Gazprom Neft Sakhalin completed the analysis of some 2,150 square meters of 3D seismic work at the Ayashsky block which allows decisions to be made on the most promising prospects.
Under the terms of its license agreement, Gazprom Neft is now making preparations for the drilling of an initial prospect and appraisal well at the Ayashsky formation, expected to start in the summer of 2017.
Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov said: “Developing new projects on the Russian continental shelf means Gazprom Neft can optimize the experience gained in developing and operating the Prirazlomnoye field in the Pechora Sea, and the Novoportovskoye and Messohakhskoye fields in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.”