OREANDA-NEWS. Gazprom Neft has successfully completed a drilling program, part of a larger pilot development program at Novoport field, one of the largest fields being developed in the Yamal region.

Production has begun at the third horizontal well drilled at the second multi-well pad at Novoport. The length of the new well's horizontal section exceeds 930 meters. The well's flow rate reaches 210 tons of oil per day, which exceeds target values by 50 percent.

Novoport field

Thus, eight production wells are currently functioning at the field, including five at the first multi-well pad and three at the second. The average flow rates of six of these wells are twice as great as their respective target values.

The results achieved at the wells will help better understand the oil in place at the field and determine the best way to develop it. Gazprom Neft plans to complete the pilot development program in the near future, and to begin a full-scale drilling program in 2014 in preparation for the beginning of commercial production at Novoport.

At present, the field infrastructure building project is underway. A pipeline is being built to the onshore complex in the Kamenny cape area from which oil will be exported by sea. Construction of an oil lease automatic custody transfer (LACT) unit, part of the transshipment complex, is continuing. An arctic oil loading terminal is in the design stage. Testing of the existing central gathering facility oil tanks has completed. The design capacity of the first line is 400,000 tons of oil per year.