Gazprom Neft has brought its second well into production at the Prirazlomnoye field, with output totalling 1,800 tonnes per day. The launch of this facility, as planned, will see production increase more than two-fold in comparison with 2014 production levels at Prirazlomnoye, which stood at 300,000 tonnes. The depth of the new well extends to more than 4,500 metres, with drilling undertaken by Russia’s GAZPROM Burenie LLC.

Altogether, the project envisages 36 wells being brought into production, including 19 production wells, 16 re-injection wells, and one absorption well. The first production well at the field was launched on 19 December 2013.

Production at the Prirazlomnaya platform is predicated on the principle of “zero emissions”, with the platform equipped with a system to prevent the discharge of any production or drilling waste into the sea: wastes will, instead, be either directly re-injected into the strata, or will be transferred to the shore for recycling. All wells to be drilled at Prirazlomnaya will be located within the platform, the base of which then acts as a buffer between the well and the open sea. In addition to which, all of the wells are specially equipped to prevent the possibility of any uncontrolled emission of oil or gas and can, if necessary, be hermetically sealed within 10 seconds.

Andrey Patrushev, Deputy CEO, Shelf Projects Development, Gazprom Neft, commented: “Ensuring environmental safety and the uninterrupted operation of our technical installations is the single most important objective for Gazprom Neft in the fulfilment of our projects under the harsh climatic conditions of the Arctic. The two-fold growth in production at the Prirazlomnaya field is a clear illustration of the effectiveness of the equipment and technologies in use.”

The Prirazlomnoye project is the first ever upstream project on the Russian Arctic Shelf, with commercial production commencing in December 2013 and a new type of oil, ARCO, launching on the international market in April 2014. In its first year of commercial production, total output at the Prirazlomnoye field reached 300,000 tonnes.

The Prirazlomnoye oilfield is located in the Pechora Sea, 60 kilometres from the shore. Recoverable reserves are in the order of 70 million tonnes. The licence holder on the project is Gazpromneft-Shelf LLC, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft.

The ice-resistant “Prirazlomnaya” rig was designed and constructed specifically for development of this field, capable of handling all technological operations — drilling, production, storage, and the preparation and offloading of the finished product.

It is designed for use in the most extreme environmental and climatic conditions, meets the most stringent safety requirements, and can withstand maximum ice loads. The offloading line for the pumping of oil to tankers is equipped with an emergency shut-down system, which is activated instantaneously.