Economy

Belorusneft to set up consortium with Russian Zarubezhneft

GOMEL, 24 May (BelTA) – Belorusneft corporation plans to set up a consortium with the Russian company Zarubezhneft, Belorusneft Director General Alexander Lyakhov said at an international research to practice conference in Rechitsa on 24 May. The conference was dedicated to ways to improve the exploitation of gas and oil deposits, BelTA has learned. The Director General said the consortium’s main goal will be the creation and assimilation of modern technologies to improve oil recovery. Belarusian and Russian scientists are now busy testing a thermal gas impact technology at the Vishanskoye deposit in Gomel Oblast. It is a new technology for Belarus. Specialists of the Russian company have worked out the feasibility study for the test and the feasibility study for raising oil recovery at Belarusian oil deposits using gas technologies: the pumping of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbon gas. Using a Russian mobile steam generator for exploiting hard-to-recover high-viscosity oil can be a promising avenue of cooperation. The sides agreed that in 2012 the new equipment will be tested at Belarusian deposits after field test operations in Russia. The science to practice conference gathered over 80 delegations from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Italy, Poland, Hungary, and Norway. They represent well-known companies and research organizations, including LUKOIL, Rosneft, Zarubezhneft, RussNeft, Ukrneft, Drillmech, the Oil and Gas Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Polish Oil Institute. The conference is supposed to analyze and summarize information about modern technologies designed to improve the recovery of oil from different-type deposits of hydrocarbon resources. Search for new oil deposits and ways to improve oil recovery are top priorities for Belorusneft. In conditions of the Single Economic Space the Belarusian company suggests uniting efforts of companies in Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan to improve oil recovery technologies. Moreover, the company is ready to take care of organizing an engineering organization involving enterprises of all the CIS states. Founded in 1966, Belorusneft corporation is part of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim. The company searches for, prospects and develops oil deposits, drills wells, extracts oil and associated gas.