The Vankor oil and gas field is the largest recently discovered black gold deposit in the Russian Federation. Oil and gas these days are the most valuable resources for human civilization. Nature has generously rewarded our country with these riches. Russia ranks eighth in the world in terms of proven oil reserves, with more than 2,000 deposits on its territory.
Geographic location
A fairly large part of Russian mineral reserves is located in remote areas with a very harsh climate. The location of the Vankor field is Krasnoyarsk Territory, its northernmost part. More than 140 kilometers separate it from the nearest town of Igarka. Part of the field is located on the territory of the Turukhansky district, where I. Stalin once served a link, partly on the territory of the Taimyr Dolgan-Nenets Autonomous District.
Here is the shift village of Vankor, which can be reached by winter road (a road laid directly in the snow) from December to May or by air, but only by helicopter. In addition to Igarka, there is a connection with the cities of Tarko-Sale and Novy Urengoy.
The distance from Krasnoyarsk to the Vankor field is 1400 kilometers. You can get to the place from the administrative center of the region by first flying by plane from Krasnoyarsk to Igarka.
Oil and gas reserves
The amount of oil and gas condensate that the Vankor field is capable of producing, according to 2016, was estimated at 500 million tons, and the quality of the extracted crude, according to Rosneft representatives, is not inferior to that of some of the Persian Gulf countries. The explored volume of gas is also impressive - 182 billion cubic meters.
At present, Vankor continues to expand: exploration and construction of new wells is ongoing, so it is possible that the figures are not final.
Discovery story
Vankor is a relatively young field, but it is the largest discovered over the past 25 years.
The official history of the development of the Vankor field began on April 22, 1988, when it was discovered by the Yeniseyneftegazgeologiya expedition. However, this could really have happened more than 15 years earlier - back in 1972, the Taimyr Geophysical Expedition recommended starting deep drilling at the site of the future Vankor and several neighboring fields, but this did not happen.
At that time, the management of geological exploration was confident that there could be no oil in those places, so they did not even look for it there. Having drilled several wells and discovered gas, geologists decided that a gas field was discovered. This was reported “up”, and the wells were mothballed. They decided to move the oil search works eastward to Evenkia, since the Kuyumbinskoye field was discovered there shortly before.
In fact, all of the oil of the Turukhansky district (including the Vankor field) owes its discovery to a defective pipe. In 1984, when it was necessary to re-preserve one of the wells, workers discovered that it was filled with oil. As it turned out, one of the casing pipes cracked just at the place where the oil layer passed.
After this incident, prospecting was finally started, in the following years Vankor and several other large fields located in the neighborhood were discovered.
The fight for the field
The first license for the development of Vankor was received by the Yeniseyneft company in 1993. Then Total and Shell became interested in the project, but did not participate in it. In 2001, the notorious Yukos company, which had planned to attract Chinese investors to the development, became the partial owner of Yeniseyneft, and then Rosneft joined.
On the basis of the struggle for the Vankor field, a conflict occurred between the companies with the involvement of the prosecutor's office. At first, Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s company won , gaining control of Yeniseineft in 2004. But at that time, Yukos had already begun serious problems with tax and law enforcement agencies, as a result of which the oil giant was declared bankrupt.
Finally, in 2007, Rosneft took possession of Vankor. Initially, it was planned to start operation in 2008, but as a result, the work was started on August 21, 2009. The opening ceremony was attended by Vladimir Putin, who then held the post of Prime Minister of Russia. At that time, 88 wells had already been drilled, half of which were production wells.
Working conditions
The rivalry between the oil companies and the frequent change of owners, of course, did not speed up the development of the field. However, a significant role in the fact that Vankor was launched almost 30 years after its discovery was played by nature itself, reliably hiding its wealth in permafrost.
A description of the Vankor field would be incomplete if we did not mention the climatic conditions in which oil workers have to work. The “charms” of these places are already indicated by the fact that the population density in the district is less than 0.01 people per square kilometer — that is, one person per 100 km 2 . To apply for a job, a candidate needs a separate medical certificate about the opportunity to work in the Far North.
Vankor is located beyond the Arctic Circle, the climate is sharply continental. This means that in winter frosts reach -60 ° C, and in short summers the temperature can stand +35 ° C. A temperature of -35 ° C in April is considered warm weather. Around - the endless tundra in the summer and the snowy plain at other times.
In such conditions, it’s hard not only for people to work - the “usual” equipment here also can’t stand it. For example, buses that are converted from KAMAZ trucks with wheels with a width of 800 mm and a diameter of 1.5 meters are used as vehicles — this is the only way to travel through the local snow.
How do oil workers live
Unlike nature, which does not spoil Vankor oil industry workers at all, Rosneft is trying to create the best living conditions for its employees. Each worker works in the field for a month, after which he returns home for the same period.
Residential complexes of oil industry workers consist of two-room blocks with a bathroom and a bathroom in each. Cleaning is done daily. The hostels are equipped with all amenities, heating and ventilation equipment, there is even a Russian bathhouse, which is especially useful in such harsh climatic conditions.
The village has medical facilities, sports complexes, gyms and other necessary infrastructure to make workers feel at home here.
Development technology
From the very beginning, the most modern technologies were used in the development of the Vankor field. For example, during construction, the method of thermal stabilization of the soil was used, and for penetration into the bowels, the latest drilling equipment and special telemetry systems were used to constantly monitor the process.
Oil before entering the pipeline undergoes refining and pre-treatment, improving its properties. Each well (of which there were 394 in 2015) is directly connected to a monitoring center that continuously monitors the operation of the field. It is pleasant to note that all this equipment is not imported. This condition was laid down at the design stage and fully paid off.
After the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in connection with the Ukrainian events, among other things, the supply of equipment related to oil and gas production was also banned. According to the West, this should have caused a significant blow to the country's economy, in which hydrocarbon production plays an important role.
But Russia was ready for this - the Vankor field is in line with the current policy of import substitution. About 90% of the equipment involved in the work of the field is of domestic production.
Therefore, contrary to the hopes of its western neighbors, Vankor continues to develop, production volumes are growing, as well as the number of jobs.
Caring for the environment
The project for the operation of the field from the very beginning provided for the complete safety of production for the environment. Special technologies were used to ensure the minimum amount of hazardous waste during work.
The construction of the infrastructure was carried out in compliance with international environmental standards (ISO 14001), as well as labor protection and industrial safety (OHSAS 18001). At Vankor, a system for the re-injection of waste into special underground cavities is provided, and the process gas is burned by a flare system that neutralizes carcinogens by almost 100%.
Prospects
For further development and development of the field, Rosneft attracts professionals from all over Russia, mainly from Bashkortostan, which has a rich tradition of mining black gold.
On the basis of the Vankorskoye field, Rosneft plans to create a large oil cluster by joining the Suzunskoye, Lodochnoye and Tagulskoye fields, which were at the disposal of the company after the acquisition of TNK-BP.
The total reserves of the future oil province are impressive - about 900 million tons, which is comparable with the mining potential of all of Norway. To deliver raw materials to the main oil transportation system, the Suzun-Vankor pipeline is under construction. The management of the entire cluster will be centralized, the logistics system and infrastructure will also be unified.
The Vankor oil and gas field will benefit not only the Zapolyarye, for whose inhabitants a lot of jobs will be created, but also the whole country: many foreign investors are following with interest the development of Vankor and are interested in participating in the project.