The oil and gas industry is the largest branch of the country's economy . In terms of proven reserves, Russia is in second place after Saudi Arabia. The main deposits are located in the Urals and in the Volga region, the Far East, the Caucasus, in the Timan-Pechora basin. However, the West Siberian Oil Base is considered the largest resource area. Let's consider it in more detail.
West Siberian Oil Base: Geographical Location
This resource area includes the territories of Tomsk, Kurgan, Omsk, Tyumen and partially Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk regions, as well as Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories. The basin area is about 3.5 million square meters. km Currently, about 70% of the total recoverable resources in the country is provided by the West Siberian Oil Base. The geographical position of this region has a number of specific features. In particular, the region borders on the economically developed European territory of the country. First of all, with the Ural region. Such a neighborhood at one time provided the basis for the economic development of the basin.
Characteristics of the West Siberian Oil Base
The deposits present in the basin belong to sediments of the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods. Most of the resources are located at a depth of 2-3 thousand meters. Oil extracted from the subsoil has a low content of paraffin (up to 0.5%) and sulfur (up to 1.1%). In raw materials there is a high percentage of gasoline fractions (40-60%), volatiles. The peculiar core of the region is the Tyumen region. It provides more than 70% of the raw materials from the volume that the West Siberian oil base provides. Extraction is carried out by a fountain or pumping method. Moreover, the volume of recoverable reserves by the second method, calculated on the entire territory of the region, is an order of magnitude higher than the first.
Pools
What areas is known for the West Siberian Oil Base? Deposits located in this territory are considered one of the richest in the country. Among them:
- Samotlor.
- Ust-Balyk.
- Megion.
- Strezhevoy.
- Shayim.
Most of them are located in the Tyumen region. It produces more than 219 million tons of oil.
Governing structures
The characteristics of the West Siberian oil base are summarized from the analysis presented by enterprises engaged in the extraction and processing of reserves. The main management companies are also located in the Tyumen region. These include:
- Yuganskneftegaz.
- Kogalymneftegaz.
- Surgutneftegas.
- Noyabrskneftegaz.
- Nizhnevartovskneftegaz.
It should be noted, however, that, according to experts, the volume of raw materials recovered in Nizhnevartovsk will be significantly reduced.
Farm development
As mentioned above, the West Siberian Oil Base is adjacent to the large Ural District. At the beginning of the development of the economy, this ensured the influx of labor and equipment into undeveloped territories then. Another stimulating factor under the influence of which the West Siberian oil base was developed was consumers of the eastern regions. The first industrial volumes of gas were obtained on the territory in 1953. Oil was discovered in 1960. Over the past few decades, recoverable reserves have increased substantially. So, in 1965 , oil production reached the first million tons. Currently, the main development is carried out in the northern part of the basin. Today, about three hundred deposits are discovered.
Features of transportation
The main site for the formation of a resource flow in the country today, along with the Volga region, is the West Siberian Oil Base. The method of transporting raw materials, mainly railway. The recovered and processed reserves are transported to the South Urals, the Far East and to the regions of Central Asia. Water transport is cheaper and more economical. But it is significantly hampered by the features of the location of the pools.
Pipelines
This is the most effective and second most popular route used by the West Siberian oil base. Transportation is carried out through a developed network, supplying more than 95% of the total resources. The average pumping range is about 2.3 thousand km. In general, the network of oil pipelines is presented in the form of two groups of objects of unequal value and management conditions: interregional (regional) and long-distance transit. The first is the connection of factories and crafts. Transit networks integrate oil flows, depersonalizing their specific owner. These pipelines connect a huge number of enterprises and export terminals. They form a technological unified network of regime and economic management. The West Siberian oil base has changed the direction of the main flows of raw materials. The most important functions of the subsequent development of the backbone network have now passed to it. From this area, pipelines are routed to:
- Ust-Balyk.
- Mound.
- Samara.
- Almetyevsk.
- Nizhnevartovsk.
- Novopolotsk.
- Surgut
- Tyumen.
- Omsk
- Pavlodar, etc.
Reasons for the decline of industry in the 90s
Technical methods for extracting resources have been improved throughout the development of the industry. But this process has slowed significantly. This was due to the extensive path that the oil industry followed during the Soviet period. At that time, an increase in the volume of recoverable raw materials was achieved not by automation and the introduction of innovative methods in production, but by the opening and development of new pools. The problems of the West Siberian oil base today are caused by the aging of technology. The reasons for the decline, experts also include:
- Significant development of large and highly debit areas of the operating fund and constituting the resource base.
- A sharp deterioration in the condition of newly incremented stocks. In recent years, highly productive deposits have practically not been discovered.
- Reduced exploration funding. The degree of predictive development of resources in Western Siberia is 35%. Exploration funding has been reduced by 30% since 1989 . Drilling volumes decreased by about the same amount.
- An acute shortage of high-performance equipment and units for production. The main part of the existing equipment is more than 50% worn out, only 14% of the machines comply with international standards. 70% of rigs need to be replaced as soon as possible. After the collapse of the USSR, difficulties began with the supply of equipment from the former republics.
It should also be noted that domestic prices for raw materials remain extremely low today. This significantly complicates the self-financing of mining enterprises. The lack of environmentally friendly and highly efficient equipment causes environmental pollution. Significant financial and material resources are attracted to eliminate this problem . Moreover, they could participate in the expansion of the industrial sector.
Tasks
The government connects the prospects of the West Siberian oil base, as well as other large resource areas of the country, not with additional state investment, but with the consistent development of the market. Enterprises engaged in the industry need to independently provide themselves with funds. Moreover, the role of the Government will be to create the necessary economic conditions. Certain steps have already been taken in this direction. So, for example, tasks on state deliveries are reduced to 20%. The remaining 80% of the enterprises can sell independently. Restrictions are set only for the export of raw materials. In addition, control over the level of domestic prices was almost completely discontinued.
Corporatization and privatization
These events are today of priority importance in the development of the industry. In the course of corporatization in the organizational forms of enterprises, qualitative changes occur. State-owned companies engaged in the extraction and transportation of oil, refining and support are being transformed into open-type joint-stock companies. At the same time, 38% of the shares are concentrated in state property. Commercial management is carried out by a specially created enterprise "Rosneft". State shares packages from 240 joint-stock companies are transferred to him. Rosneft also has a variety of banks, exchanges, associations, and other companies. As for transportation, special companies have also been formed to manage such enterprises. They are Transnefteproduct and Transneft. 51% of securities are transferred to them.
The state of the raw material base
The West Siberian oil base, like other large resource areas, includes both explored and unexplored reserves. In the course of geological surveys, a structural analysis of the deposits is carried out. In the near future, several thousand deposits are expected to be discovered. However, today the introduction of modern methods and technologies is hampered by high capital intensity and operating costs for use in comparison with traditional ones. In this regard, the Ministry of Fuel and Energy is developing proposals to take a number of measures at the legislative level. They should be aimed at stimulating the use of innovative technologies and methods for increasing oil recovery. These measures should help to improve the financing of experimental design and research work on the creation of new technological means, the active development of the material and technical base.
Forecasts
The expected production volumes in Western Siberia by 2020 should amount to 290-315 million tons per year. At the same time, the general indicators for the country should reach 520-600 million tons. It is planned to supply raw materials to the Asia-Pacific countries. They account for about 30% of global consumption. The largest consumers today are China and Japan. A program was developed for 2005-2020. It provided for the construction of oil pipelines from Eastern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean. The project was supposed to take place in four stages. Oil transportation was planned in the amount of 80 million tons.
Conclusion
The development of the West Siberian oil base is complicated by three groups of problems. The first of these stems from inefficient governance established in Soviet times. The second group was the result of economic liberalization, the establishment of market relations in the industry. During the change of ownership, the government lost control of financial flows. This, in turn, led to massive defaults, barter and other crises. The third group of problems concerns the deterioration of world market conditions. This is due to overproduction of raw materials. All these problems together led to a sharp decline in production. The first turning point in this trend was noted in 1997. It was associated with a temporary increase in demand for raw materials in the world market and increased business activity of domestic enterprises. This, in turn, led to an influx of foreign investment in the industry. However, today the situation on the world market remains extremely unstable. Supply significantly exceeds demand, which, accordingly, negatively affects prices. In this regard, countries engaged in oil production and refining, as well as their export, are searching for optimal ways to get out of a critical situation. Governments and ministries of different countries have a constant dialogue on the current situation. Currently, the issue of a temporary decrease in production volumes is being actively discussed. According to exporting countries, this will balance the prices in the market.