Sakhalin-1. Oil and gas project on Sakhalin Island

The explored reserves of hydrocarbons in the world are huge, but not all oil fields are being developed. The main reason for "downtime" is economic inexpediency. Many oil-bearing layers lie at great depths, or (and) in hard-to-reach places. The first large Odoptu deposit on the island shelf of Sakhalin was discovered by Soviet geologists in 1977, but only decades later, with changes in market conditions and the development of new technologies, the extraction of Sakhalin black gold became profitable.

Potential

Within the framework of Sakhalin-1, the development and operation of three oil and gas fields is taking place - Odoptu, Chayvo and Arkutun-Dagi. They are located northeast of Sakhalin on the shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk. Their potentially recoverable reserves are huge (but not record) - 2.3 billion barrels of oil, 485 billion cubic meters ^of gas.

If we take into account the total capacity of the interlinked Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 working projects, as well as the Sakhalin-3 project in the initial stage, the total recoverable gas reserves in this region exceed 2.4 trillion cubic meters, oil is over 3.2 billion barrels. It is no accident that journalists call the island "the second Kuwait".

However, production at these fields is complicated by the presence of pack ice up to 1.5 meters thick for six to seven months a year, as well as strong excitement and seismic activity throughout the year. The need to overcome the obstacles associated with harsh weather conditions and the creation in this remote region of the entire oil and gas infrastructure have determined the unique nature of the tasks facing the project.

History of the project

Long before the implementation of the Sakhalin-1 project, geologists understood that the island's hydrocarbon resources are located offshore, offshore, but their reserves were not known. In the 1970s, Sakhalinmorneftegaz took over the definition of the volume of the deposits. Then, the SODECO consortium from neighboring Japan joined the exploratory work, and today it is one of the participants in the project.

In 1977, first on the Sakhalin shelf, the Odoptu gas field was discovered, a year later - the Chayvo deposit, and 10 years later - Arkutun Dagi. Thus, Sakhalin Island has become potentially attractive for hydrocarbon production. However, the lack of proper investment and technological developments prevented the beginning of development.

Breakthrough

By the beginning of the 21st century, the situation in the region has changed. The growing demands of the most powerful economies of the world - Japanese and Korean, as well as rising energy costs, made the Sakhalin-1 project pay off. A large investment, and most importantly, technological assistance was provided by the Exxon-Mobil Corporation (EM). The participation of a highly professional team with 85 years of experience in developing oil and gas fields in the Arctic climate has made it possible to solve many problems.

At the moment, the actual operator of the project is the "daughter" of the corporation "EM" Exxon Neftegas Limited. It is the main production activity. The consortium also solves a number of socio-economic projects in the Sakhalin Oblast and the neighboring Khabarovsk Territory, including the development of the local economy, the training and education of professional Russian cadres, social programs, charity, and more.

Consortium members

This oil and gas project is an example of successful international cooperation in complex geophysical, climatic, geographical conditions. To implement the project their efforts were combined:

• Mega-corporation "Exxon Mobil" (USA): 30% of shares (in connection with sanctions, the further participation of the American company in question).
• Consortium SODECO (Japan): 30%.
• Rosneft, through controlled entities Sakhalinmorneftegaz-Shelf (11.5%) and RN-Astra (8.5%).
• GNK ONGC Videsh Ltd (India): 20%.

The city of Okha became the capital of Sakhalin oil workers.

Working programm

At the initial stage of Sakhalin-1, the Chayvo field was developed with the help of the Orlan offshore platform and the Yastreb drilling rig. In early October 2005, a decade after the start of the development, the first oil was produced at the Chayvo field. As a result of the completion of the construction of the Coastal Production Facility (OPF) at the end of 2006, the volume of production in February 2007 reached 250,000 barrels (34,000 tons) of oil per day. At the next stages of the project, the development of gas reserves for Chayvo for export supplies began.

Then the "Hawk" was transferred to the neighboring Odoptu field for further drilling and production of hydrocarbons. Both gas and oil come from the fields to the OPF, after which oil is transported to the terminal in the village of DeKastri (the mainland of the Khabarovsk Territory, on the coast of the Tatar Strait) for further shipment for export, and gas comes from Sakhalin to the domestic market.

The next stage began with the development of the third deposit (the largest in terms of area) Arkutun-Dagi and gas from Chayvo, which will ensure the guaranteed production of hydrocarbons until 2050. In order to increase the economic efficiency and improve the operation process, unique practical experience acquired during the first stage of development is taken into account.

Drilling rig "Hawk"

The development of oil and gas in this sector is connected with the solution of the most complicated tasks posed by nature. Heavy climatic conditions, powerful ice fields in the shelf water area, features of the geological structure, he demanded the oil industry to apply advanced facilities.

The pride of the whole project was the Yastreb drilling rig, which has several world records on the length and speed of the drilled wells on its "conscience". This is one of the most powerful land-based installations in the world. The 70-meter unit, designed for operation in seismically active and cold Arctic regions, allows drilling ultra-long wells first in the vertical and then horizontally under the seabed with a total barrel length of more than 11 kilometers.

When drilling these wells, several world records are already established along the length of the trunk - by the way, it was here that the record well Z42 with a length of 12700 meters (June 2013) was drilled. Thanks to the use of the technology of high-speed drilling, which is the property of ExxonMobil Corporation, the Sakhalin-1 wells have been passed record high.

With the help of the "Yastreb" wells are drilled from the shore under the ground at an inclination toward the occurrence of offshore deposits, thereby reducing the burden on the unique reserved nature of these places. In addition, a relatively compact installation replaces large structures that would have to be built on the high seas in the face of the most difficult ice conditions in winter. As a result, operational and capital costs are significantly saved . Having completed work at the Chayvo field, the Yastreb was modernized and moved to develop the neighboring Odoptu field.

The Orlan platform

In addition to the ground-based Yastreb, Sakhalin-1 gas and oil fields are being developed by another "proud bird" - the offshore production platform Orlan. The platform extracts minerals in the southwestern region of the Chayvo field.

A 50-meter gravity-type construction is installed on the bottom of the Sea of Okhotsk, its depth in this place is 14 meters. Orlan has drilled 20 wells since 2005. Together with the 21st well drilled by Yastreb from the shore, the number of such wells is a record for the oil and gas sector in one field. As a result, the volume of oil production increased many times.

On the "Eagle", 9 months of the year surrounded by ice, the work is associated with the solution of previously unknown for the country production tasks. In addition to complex seismic and climatic conditions, complicated logistical tasks are being solved here.

Berkut platform

This is the newest platform, assembled at the shipyards of South Korea and safely delivered in 2014 to the Arkutun-Dagi field. The characteristics of the "Golden Eagle" are even more impressive than that of the "Orlan". During transportation (and this is 2600 km) there was not a single incident. The facility is designed to withstand two-meter ice and 18-meter waves at -44 ˚C.

Onshore preparation complexes

The hydrocarbons extracted from the Chayvo and Odoptu deposits enter the OPF. There is a separation of gas, water and oil, its stabilization for further transportation for export through a modern oil export terminal in the DeKastri settlement, gas cleaning for domestic consumers. The fully autonomous plant is designed for processing approximately 250,000 barrels of oil and an additional 22.4 million cubic meters ^of gas daily.

When constructing the OPF, designers used a large-modular construction method. The plant is like a designer built from 45 different modules. All objects are designed specifically for work in the Far Eastern climate. Most of the designs are metal, they can withstand low temperatures down to -40 ° C.

To deliver heavy modules to the construction site across the Chayvo Bay, a unique 830-meter bridge was built. Thanks to this construction, Sakhalin Island is a record holder - the bridge is considered unsurpassably strong, exceeding in length the gigantic transitions through the greatest rivers of Siberia - the Ob and the Irtysh. The construction was useful for reindeer herders too - the path to taiga camps decreased significantly.

Export potential

The whole complex "Sakhalin-1, 2, 3" was built with an eye on the export of resources. Having the "bottomless" economy of Japan, no less powerful than South Korea, is a sin not to use the advantageous geographical location of hydrocarbon rich deposits. In addition, the project allows a large part of the raw materials (mainly gas) to be transported to the "Big Land" (continental Russia). The main importers of Okhotsk oil are Japan and South Korea.

The export technology is as follows:

1. Gas and oil are supplied to the OPF plant by wells.
2. Then, from the shore complex along the pipeline, laid through the Tatar Strait, the raw materials are left to the village of De-Kastri for a specially equipped newest export terminal.
3. Gas mostly goes to Russian consumers, and oil accumulates in huge tanks, from where it is shipped to a tanker through an outboard moorage.

De-Kastri Terminal

The development of oil fields in the Far East required the solution of the issue of unimpeded transportation of raw materials. The terminal was decided not on Sakhalin, but on the mainland in the port of DeKastri. Black gold comes here through pipes, and further - oil tankers. The terminal was built from scratch, using the latest technologies.

Thanks to the terminal, the local population received additional high-paying jobs, orders for district transport and service enterprises appeared, social-public and communal infrastructure of the village improved.

For year-round transportation, it was required to design and build unique tankers for the severe ice conditions of the Afromaks class, and the icebreakers accompanying them. During 5 years of operation of the terminal, 460 tankers were shipped without incident. More than 45 million tons of oil passed through the terminal.

Responsible and uninterrupted operation

Employees and contractors of the Sakhalin-1 project fulfilled 68 million hours with excellent safety and injury rates, which far exceed the industry average. Compliance with regulatory and legal requirements is ensured through strict regulation and control of production activities.

Environmental measures are an integral part of the construction and operation of the project and include a number of special programs for the protection of wildlife, including protection of the western gray whale population, Steller's sea eagle and other inhabitants.

Active consultation with representatives of the indigenous population of Sakhalin Island helped ENL to identify the most pressing local problems. In particular, the oil industry allows local reindeer herders to use the bridge built across the Chayvo Bay for the annual repositioning of herds of reindeer.

Attraction and training of Russian personnel

At the initial stage of development, 13,000 jobs were created for Russian citizens. The involvement of local staff creates new opportunities and contributes to overall and regional economic development. At the same time, ENL applies the most up-to-date operating standards and safety standards, as well as construction, drilling, extraction and pipeline technology.

More than one hundred Russian engineers and technicians are involved in work at production facilities. Each of the hired technical specialists undergoes a long-term professional training course. Some of them were sent for an internship at Exxon Mobil's facilities in the US and Canada.

Help the island

More and more residents of Sakhalin are participating in technical training programs for suppliers and contractors. Working together with the Agency for International Development (USA), the employer promotes professional development of welders through the organization of special training courses and provides microcredits for the passage of business training and the development of Sakhalin SMEs. The consortium contributed more than one million dollars to the loan fund, through which half a thousand jobs were created and more than 180 enterprises are supported.

The share of Russian organizations is continuously growing as suppliers and contractors. The cost of contracts with domestic firms exceeded $ 4 billion or about two thirds of the total value of contracts for the project.

In addition to ensuring the state's revenue by paying royalties, the project contributes to the development of local infrastructure - roads, bridges, sea and air ports, as well as municipal medical facilities are being built. Other support programs include charitable donations for education, health care, and local scientific and technical capacity building.