Maria Novoseletskaya writes:
“A plane from Moscow or St. Petersburg to the capital of Yamal will take you just three hours. Here Ural mountains, and here is the great Ob under the wing and behind it - Salekhard.
(Total 39 photos)
It would seem not for long, but it is enough to find yourself in the vast expanses rich in archaeological finds, the harvest of berries and mushrooms, venison and many fish in the rivers.
Yamal is considered to be a gas region, but this is not entirely true. The tundra also stores black gold in its bowels - oil. And now the development of the Yamal deposits, which was previously impossible due to the difficulties in extracting natural reserves, plays a very important role in the development of the region.
We (a group of journalists) got a unique chance to see, feel the oil in the truest sense of the word and see how it is produced. The scale of production, combined with the nature of this region, made a vivid impression on us.
So. Early morning. Salekhard. Helipad and the first helicopter flight in my life. A little briefing, the belts are fastened, instead of ear plugs - headphones in the ears, and overboard there are endless landscapes that you can’t tear yourself away from.
Alexander Lipatnikov is flying with us, the head of the operation department of the Gates of the Arctic oil terminal, who knows more than anyone about the difficulties and peculiarities of oil production in Yamal.
Our path lies to the field, not far from the village of Novy Port, and the next day even further - Kamenny Cape, where the main object of our visit is located - the Gates of the Arctic oil loading terminal.
Upon arrival, we immediately went fishing. The Novoportovskoye field is one of the largest developed oil and gas condensate fields on the Yamal Peninsula, and the largest in terms of liquid hydrocarbon reserves.
The recoverable reserves in categories C1 and C2 are more than two hundred and fifty million tons of oil and condensate, as well as more than three hundred and twenty billion cubic meters of gas. That's a lot!
If you delve into the history of Yamal, the presence of significant oil and gas reserves here was proved back in 1964, but the lack of transport infrastructure, as well as complex geology, remained for a long time insurmountable obstacles to the start of a full-scale development of Novoportovskoye. By 1987, 117 exploratory wells had been drilled at the field, but the asset development project entered the active phase only after 2010, when Gazprom decided to transfer it to Gazprom Neft. Today, the project operator is OOO Gazpromneft-Yamal.
Production efficiency in arctic latitudes and permafrost the company achieves through the use modern technologies. For example, one of them is the drilling of multilateral wells, which makes it possible to increase the reservoir coverage area. It is here that a multilateral well was drilled with a horizontal section length of 2000 meters. This figure is a record for Gazprom Neft.
By the way, about records. Really enthusiastic people work in the field, however, this region does not recognize others. You need to be stubborn and love your job in order to conduct shifts in these conditions. It turned out to be a surprising discovery that the crews not only set records for the pace of well construction, but also compete with each other. Everything is present here: the names of the teams, and the competitive process. The record holders have the team name just appropriate - “Victory” (as you call the ship, so it will sail). And there are even "Snow Leopards". Once upon a time, the construction of wells took an average of 40 days, now it takes 22, and there is a record - 14 days!
The Novoportovskoye field is growing rapidly. As of July 2017, 84 wells have been drilled, and almost four hundred are planned! Just think about the scale of the wealth of this region.
Of course, for such hard work, the conditions must be appropriate. A fishing base with a hostel has been built, infrastructure for everyday life has been established. In total, about 450 people work on the watch. Some workers still live in trailers, but in comfortable ones - even heated floors. Already next year, a residential complex for 600 people should be put into operation, a gas turbine power plant will be launched, which will provide electricity not only to oil facilities, but also to nearby villages.
The development of the territory cannot take place without interaction with the local population. “We are visiting here,” admits the head of the field, Vladimir Sablin, therefore, all measures are being taken to protect nature as much as possible from human intrusion and, of course, to live in friendship and harmony with the nomadic peoples who have lived in the tundra since ancient times. The pipelines are raised above the ground so as not to interfere with the deer, safe passages through the pipelines have been made on the site of animal paths that have developed over the centuries, and seasonal roads are being cleaned. In general, Gazprom Neft does its best not to interfere with the locals to live as they please.
Such a symbiosis of a large enterprise and the population is very pleasantly surprising. So, by joint efforts, they resumed the holiday of reindeer herders, not ostentatious, but the real one, where people from all over the boundless Yamal tundra come together, spend the day of the fisherman and, in general, respond in every possible way to the needs of the population.
By the way, to talk about environmental cleanliness. Gazprom Neft, together with leading Russian research institutes, is assessing the level of anthropogenic impact on the flora and fauna of the Yamal Peninsula, including species listed in the Red Book. For example, it is planned to conduct experimental work to identify plants that can be most effectively used to restore disturbed surface soil layers in the Yamal tundra.
Just look where the wagtail has made its nest? Directly at the base of the tanks of the tank farm of the Central Oil Gathering Station.
Want to try oil? - asked us a very non-trivial question. Of course! The truth is not as good as you might think. But touch and smell - please! This is very interesting experience. And yes, the smell resembles gasoline and this distinguishes Yamal oil from other brands.
Here, at the Novoportovskoye field, a unique grade of oil is produced, which is called Novy Port. This oil is very attractive to buyers, it is known and appreciated in Europe for highest quality, that is, a low content of sulfur (about 0.1%), water, and other impurities. Novy Port outperforms not only the Russian blend Urals, but also the European marker grade Brent. Today, Novy Port can be safely called the brand of Yamal.
Briefly about which way the oil goes. From wells to node additional work an oil emulsion enters, which must be rid of water and gas. First, the mixture meets two types of separators, then the separated gas goes to the fuel gas treatment unit for the local power plant, and the water-oil mixture goes through the next network of separators, after which it comes out thoroughly heated, up to 40-45 degrees, without gas and with water at level 0 .03 percent.
Prepared marketable oil goes from Novy Port to Cape Kamenny via a 100-kilometer pipe, from there it is shipped by the Gates of the Arctic terminal to a tanker that goes through Murmansk to a buyer in Europe.
So we, along the route of oil, flew to Cape Kamenny to the “Gate of the Arctic” in order to see with our own eyes how it happens and in order to fall in love with these harsh distances forever, never stop admiring the work of the people who are on duty here.
The fact that the Novoportovskoye field is unique, I think you have already understood. But the Gates of the Arctic distinguishes it even more strongly from other deposits. Just think, for the first time in the history of the development of the oil and gas industry in Russia, year-round transportation of oil is carried out not through pipelines, but through the Northern Sea Route. To make this possible, a huge work of specialists has been done, as a result of which a large oil loading terminal has been built - the only one located in fresh waters beyond the Arctic Circle, it has no analogues in the world.
The Gates of the Arctic are designed to operate in extreme natural climatic conditions. The capacity of the terminal for transshipment of raw materials is 8.5 million tons / year. The huge structure has a two-level protection system and meets the most stringent requirements in the field of industrial safety and security. environment.
The terminal equipment is fully automated and reliably protected from water hammer. A special system allows you to instantly undock the terminal and the tanker, while maintaining the tightness of the disconnected elements. The principle of "zero discharge" excludes any contact of the product with the atmosphere, which is extremely important for the preservation of the ecology of the Arctic.
We are surprised to learn from a conversation with terminal operators that it is much more comfortable to work in winter - there are no waves and wind. In winter, the Gates of the Arctic are more accessible in terms of specialist visits, maintenance, and tanker loading for shipment. But how can you climb to a height of more than 80 meters in the cold? Basically, everything is mechanized and controlled at a distance, from the center, where all the necessary equipment and video surveillance are located.
Here, on the shore, there is also a laboratory that controls the quality of the transferred oil and issues a certificate for the batch currently loaded onto the tanker.
The first shipment of raw materials using the terminal took place on May 25, 2016, the command to launch was given by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. Since that time, quite a few thousand tons of Novoportovskaya oil have gone to Europe. In the spring of this year, Gazpromneft-Yamal shipped its jubilee - five millionth - ton of raw materials to the Shturman Albanov tanker.
Speaking of ships. Gazprom Neft is developing its own fleet specifically for work on the Novy Port project. By the end of 2017, six tankers of the highest arctic class- Arc7. Such a tanker is capable of transporting 40,000 tons each, crossing the Northern Sea Route in ice 1.8 meters thick.
At the same time, diesel-electric icebreakers are being built at the Vyborg Shipyard, which will bear the title of the most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers in the Arctic. Their main task will be to ensure the shipment of oil and escort tankers. Such vessels are not afraid of frost even at minus 50 degrees.
The trip to Cape Kamenny is coming to an end, you can still go to the shore of the Gulf of Ob, throw a coin and make a wish, because these lands still contain a lot of interesting and unknown things, maybe these are new deposits, or maybe new people who we will meet on a way. Who knows. I am sure of one thing, that Yamal is an amazing land with amazing discoveries inside and with wonderful people who master this harsh land and live here.
A plane from Moscow or St. Petersburg to the capital of Yamal will take you just three hours. Here are the Ural Mountains, and here is the great Ob under the wing and behind it - Salekhard. It would seem not for long, but it is enough to find yourself in the vast expanses rich in archaeological finds, the harvest of berries and mushrooms, venison and many fish in the rivers.
Yamal is considered to be a gas region, but this is not entirely true. The tundra also stores black gold in its bowels - oil. And now the development of the Yamal deposits, which was previously impossible due to the difficulties in extracting natural reserves, plays a very important role in the development of the region. 
We (a group of journalists) got a unique chance to see, feel the oil in the truest sense of the word and see how it is produced. The scale of production, combined with the nature of this region, made a vivid impression on us.
So. Early morning. Salekhard. 
Helipad and the first helicopter flight in my life. A small briefing, the belts are fastened, instead of ear plugs - headphones in the ears, and overboard there are endless landscapes that you can’t tear yourself away from. Alexander Lipatnikov is flying with us, the head of the operation department of the Gates of the Arctic oil terminal, who knows more than anyone about the difficulties and peculiarities of oil production in Yamal. Our path lies to the field, not far from the village of Novy Port, and the next day even further - Cape Kamenny, where the main object of our visit is located - the oil loading terminal. 
Upon arrival, we immediately went fishing. The Novoportovskoye field is one of the largest developed oil and gas condensate fields on the Yamal Peninsula, and the largest in terms of liquid hydrocarbon reserves. The recoverable reserves in categories C1 and C2 are more than two hundred and fifty million tons of oil and condensate, as well as more than three hundred and twenty billion cubic meters of gas. That's a lot! 
If you delve into the history of Yamal, the presence of significant oil and gas reserves here was proved back in 1964, but the lack of transport infrastructure, as well as complex geology, remained for a long time insurmountable obstacles to the start of a full-scale development of Novoportovskoye. By 1987, 117 exploratory wells had been drilled at the field, but the asset development project entered the active phase only after 2010, when Gazprom decided to transfer it to Gazprom Neft. Today, the project operator is OOO Gazpromneft-Yamal. 
The company achieves production efficiency in the conditions of arctic latitudes and permafrost through the use of modern technologies. For example, one of them is the drilling of multilateral wells, which makes it possible to increase the reservoir coverage area. It is here that a multilateral well was drilled with a horizontal section length of 2000 meters. This figure is a record for Gazprom Neft. 
By the way, about records. Really enthusiastic people work in the field, however, this region does not recognize others. You need to be stubborn and love your job in order to conduct shifts in these conditions. It turned out to be a surprising discovery that the crews not only set records for the pace of well construction, but also compete with each other. Everything is present here: the names of the teams, and the competitive process. The record holders have the team name just appropriate - “Victory” (as you call the ship, so it will sail). And there are even "Snow Leopards". Once upon a time, the construction of wells took an average of 40 days, now it takes 22, and there is a record - 14 days! 
The Novoportovskoye field is growing rapidly. As of July 2017, 84 wells have been drilled, and almost four hundred are planned! Just think about the scale of the wealth of this region. 
Of course, for such hard work, the conditions must be appropriate. A fishing base with a hostel has been built, infrastructure for everyday life has been established. In total, about 450 people work on the watch. Some workers still live in trailers, but in comfortable ones - even heated floors. Already next year, a residential complex for 600 people should be put into operation, a gas turbine power plant will be launched, which will provide electricity not only to oil facilities, but also to nearby villages. 
The development of the territory cannot take place without interaction with the local population. “We are visiting here,” admits the head of the field, Vladimir Sablin, therefore, all measures are being taken to protect nature as much as possible from human intrusion and, of course, to live in friendship and harmony with the nomadic peoples who have lived in the tundra since ancient times.
The pipelines are raised above the ground so as not to interfere with the deer, safe passages through the pipelines have been made on the site of animal paths that have developed over the centuries, and seasonal roads are being cleaned. In general, Gazprom Neft does its best not to interfere with the locals to live as they please. Such a symbiosis of a large enterprise and the population is very pleasantly surprising. So, by joint efforts, they resumed the holiday of reindeer herders, not ostentatious, but the real one, where people from all over the boundless Yamal tundra come together, spend the day of the fisherman and, in general, respond in every possible way to the needs of the population. 
By the way, to talk about environmental cleanliness. Gazprom Neft, together with leading Russian research institutes, is assessing the level of anthropogenic impact on the flora and fauna of the Yamal Peninsula, including species listed in the Red Book. For example, it is planned to conduct experimental work to identify plants that can be most effectively used to restore disturbed surface soil layers in the Yamal tundra. 
Just look where the wagtail has made its nest? Directly at the base of the tanks of the tank farm of the Central Oil Gathering Station. 
Want to try oil? - asked us a very non-trivial question. Of course! The truth is not as good as you might think. But touch and smell - please! This is a very interesting experience. And yes, the smell resembles gasoline and this distinguishes Yamal oil from other brands. 
Here, at the Novoportovskoye field, a unique grade of oil is produced, which is called Novy Port. This oil is very attractive to buyers, it is known and appreciated in Europe for the highest quality, that is, low sulfur content (about 0.1%), water, and other impurities. Novy Port outperforms not only the Russian blend Urals, but also the European marker grade Brent. Today, Novy Port can be safely called the brand of Yamal. 
Briefly about which way the oil goes. From the wells, an oil emulsion is supplied to the additional work unit, which needs to be rid of water and gas. First, the mixture meets two types of separators, then the separated gas goes to the fuel gas treatment unit for the local power plant and flare installations, and the water-oil mixture goes through the next network of separators, after which it comes out thoroughly heated, up to 40-45 degrees, without gas and with water at the level of 0.03 percent.
Prepared marketable oil goes from Novy Port to Cape Kamenny via a 100-kilometer pipe, from there it is shipped by the Gates of the Arctic terminal to a tanker that goes through Murmansk to a buyer in Europe. 
So, along the route of oil, we flew to Cape Kamenny to the “Gate of the Arctic” in order to see with our own eyes how this happens and to fall in love with these harsh distances forever, to never stop admiring the work of the people who are on duty here. 
The fact that the Novoportovskoye field is unique, I think you have already understood. But the Gates of the Arctic distinguishes it even more strongly from other deposits. Just think, for the first time in the history of the development of the oil and gas industry in Russia, year-round transportation of oil is carried out not through pipelines, but through the Northern Sea Route. To make this possible, a huge work of specialists has been done, as a result of which a large oil loading terminal has been built - the only one located in fresh waters beyond the Arctic Circle, which has no analogues in the world. 
The Gates of the Arctic are designed to operate in extreme natural and climatic conditions. The terminal's capacity for transshipment of raw materials is 8.5 million tons per year. The huge structure has a two-level protection system and meets the most stringent requirements in the field of industrial safety and environmental protection. The terminal equipment is fully automated and reliably protected from water hammer. A special system allows you to instantly undock the terminal and the tanker, while maintaining the tightness of the disconnected elements. The principle of "zero discharge" excludes any contact of the product with the atmosphere, which is extremely important for the preservation of the ecology of the Arctic. 
We are surprised to learn from a conversation with terminal operators that it is much more comfortable to work in winter - there are no waves and wind. In winter, the Gates of the Arctic are more accessible in terms of visits of specialists, maintenance, and placing tankers for shipment. But how can you climb to a height of more than 80 meters in the cold? Basically, everything is mechanized and controlled at a distance, from the center, where all the necessary equipment and video surveillance are located. Here, on the shore, there is also a laboratory that controls the quality of the transferred oil and issues a certificate for the batch currently loaded onto the tanker. 
The first shipment of raw materials using the terminal took place on May 25, 2016, the command to launch was given by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. Since that time, quite a few thousand tons of Novoportovskaya oil have gone to Europe. In the spring of this year, Gazpromneft-Yamal shipped its jubilee - five millionth - ton of raw materials to the Shturman Albanov tanker. 
Speaking of ships. Gazprom Neft is developing its own fleet specifically for work on the Novy Port project. By the end of 2017, six tankers of the highest Arctic class, Arc7, will be commissioned for oil transportation. Such a tanker is capable of transporting 40,000 tons each, crossing the Northern Sea Route on ice 1.8 meters thick. 
At the same time, diesel-electric icebreakers are being built at the Vyborg Shipyard, which will bear the title of the most powerful icebreakers in the Arctic. Their main task will be to ensure the shipment of oil and escort of tankers. Such vessels are not afraid of frost even at minus 50 degrees. 
The trip to Cape Kamenny is coming to an end, you can still go to the shore of the Gulf of Ob, throw a coin and make a wish, because these lands still contain a lot of interesting and unknown things, maybe these are new deposits, or maybe new people who we will meet on a way. Who knows. I am sure of one thing, that Yamal is an amazing land with amazing discoveries inside and with wonderful people who develop this harsh land and live here.
At the Novoportovskoye field, Gazprom Neft launched the Arctic Gates of the Arctic oil loading terminal, installed in the waters of the Gulf of Ob. This is a unique technical facility designed to operate in extreme natural and climatic conditions: the temperature in the region drops below -50 degrees Celsius, the ice thickness can exceed 2 m. 3.5 km from the coast, it enters through an oil pipeline with a length of more than 100 km. The terminal's oil transshipment capacity is up to 8.5 million tons per year.
"Alexander Sannikov" is one of two icebreaking vessels servicing the terminal at Novoportovskoye, which are being built by order of Gazprom Neft at the Vyborg Shipyard
The facility is equipped with a two-level emergency protection system and meets the most stringent requirements in the field of industrial safety and environmental protection. A special system allows you to instantly undock the terminal and the tanker, while maintaining the tightness of the disconnected elements. The "zero discharge" technology excludes the ingress of any foreign substances into the waters of the Gulf of Ob. The subsea pipeline connecting the terminal to the offshore tank farm is protected by an additional concrete shell.
The command to start loading a tanker with oil from the Novoportovskoye field through the new terminal was given by the president via video link Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The solemn event dedicated to the start of the year-round shipment of Yamal oil through the Gates of the Arctic was attended by Alexei Miller, Chairman of the Board of Gazprom, and Alexander Dyukov, General Director of Gazprom Neft.
The development of territories located beyond the Arctic Circle on land and on the shelf is part of the Gazprom Neft strategy until 2025, the joint program "Arctic Time". The flagship projects of the program today are the development of the Prirazlomnoye and Novoportovskoye fields. In the future, its perimeter may include other elements of the Gazprom Neft production cluster, which is being formed in the north of the YaNAO, and new offshore assets.
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation:
We are starting today new stage development of Yamal, in fact, a new stage in the development of the Novoportovskoye field. This is a significant, great event, as the project is one of the most capital-intensive in the Russian oil and gas industry. Over the past three years, 186 billion rubles have been allocated for its implementation, the latest technical solutions have been applied related to work in the harsh conditions of the northern point the Yamal Peninsula. For the first time, oil will be shipped not by pipeline, but by sea. I would like to congratulate and thank the management of Gazprom and Gazprom Neft, as well as the engineers and workers who took part in the implementation of this project. This is a very good step forward!
Alexander Dyukov, General Director of Gazprom Neft:
The Novoportovskoye field was discovered more than 50 years ago and became the first hydrocarbon field discovered on the Yamal Peninsula. For a long time, the lack of technologies for the development of such complex fields as Novoportovskoye, the lack of the possibility of exporting and transporting oil did not allow starting the development of the asset. The use of new modern technologies of the 21st century made it possible to start developing this field.
We continue to build high-tech horizontal wells at the field. We are expanding and developing ground infrastructure. A powerful power plant is under construction. At the Vyborg Shipyard, we started building new, modern, powerful icebreakers for Novy Port. The start of full-scale development of the asset opens up a new production region for Gazprom Neft and brings the company significantly closer to its strategic goal of 100 mmtoe. by 2020.
The command to start loading the tanker with oil from the Novoportovskoye field through the new terminal was given via video link
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Arctic terminal
Oil transportation scheme
8.5 million tons per year capacity of the Gates of the Arctic terminal for oil transshipment
Vadim Yakovlev, First Deputy General Director of Gazprom Neft:
The construction of the Arctic terminal at the Novoportovskoye field is a complex project implemented in extreme climatic conditions. However, the commissioning of the Gates of the Arctic is a valuable event not only in terms of demonstrating the technological capabilities of Gazprom Neft. This is a major milestone in Novoportovskoye's road to full capacity, a journey the company has traveled from virtually zero to the discovery of a new Russian oil province in Yamal.
Gazprom Neft is exploring the possibility of building new sea terminals"Yenisei", "Krugly" and "Kharasavey" in the Arctic for the export of products via the Northern Sea Route, according to a presentation by Rosatom, presented as part of parliamentary hearings on the topic "On legislative support priority socio-economic development Far East and the Arctic."
Thus, according to the materials, the resource base of the Yenisei port construction project (at the mouth of the Yenisei River) is 1.3 billion tons of liquid hydrocarbons, the terminal is expected to be launched in 2027. Annual shipment can be up to 20 million tons per year. After the launch of the project, deductions to the regional budget may amount to 155 billion rubles, and to the federal budget - 1.97 trillion rubles. At the same time, the project needs state support measures in the form of dredging.
In August, Gazprom Neft received 12 licenses on a declarative basis for geological exploration of sites in the west of Taimyr (Western Taimyr sites 1-12). They are located on the territory of the Dolgano-Nenets municipal district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Previously, Gazprom Neft had no assets in Taimyr. As the head of Rosnedra Evgeny Kiselev stated, the Yenisei-Khatanga zone could become a new oil and gas province with huge commercial reserves, where all major Russian oil and gas companies have already entered.
In addition, according to the materials of Rosatom, Gazprom Neft is studying the possibility of building a Krugly post (the Gulf of Ob). The resource base of this project may amount to 3.5 billion tons, the launch year is 2024. The potential annual shipment is up to 20 million tons. Deductions to the regional budget are expected at the level of 200 billion rubles. per year, in the federal - up to 3.5 billion rubles. annually. The project also needs state support measures in the form of dredging.
In the Gulf of Ob, Gazprom Neft already operates the Gates of the Arctic port (capacity - 8.5 million tons per year), which ships oil from the large Novoportovskoye field. It is assumed that the port "Krugly" will be located on the opposite side of the "Gate of the Arctic" side of the Gulf of Ob. Gazprom Neft is implementing the Gas Yamala project in this region - the development of gas fields and the construction of a gas pipeline throughput 20 billion cubic meters
Also, according to the materials of Rosatom, Gazprom Neft is considering the possibility of building the port of Kharasavey in the north of the Yamal Peninsula: the resource base, annual loading and the year of launch are being specified. As expected measures of state support - the need for dredging of these projects.
Gazprom Neft itself does not comment on information about the company's plans to build new ports in the Arctic. According to a source in the company, no final decisions on the construction of oil terminals have been made yet. The company is working on various logistics schemes for its new Arctic projects, the source said.
Release
Today in the village of Cape Kamenny (Yamal Peninsula, Yamalo-Nenets autonomous region) a solemn event dedicated to the start of year-round shipment of Yamal oil through the Arctic Gates of the Arctic oil terminal was held. The event was attended by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Alexander Dyukov, General Director of Gazprom Neft.
The command to start loading the tanker with oil from the Novoportovskoye field was given by video link by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
The Novoportovskoye oil and gas condensate field, the largest in terms of oil reserves in Yamal, is located 700 kilometers from the existing pipeline infrastructure. Therefore, it was decided that for the first time in the history of the Russian oil and gas industry, the export of Yamal oil will be carried out by sea.
Usage the latest technologies during the creation of production, transport and, most importantly, shipping infrastructure, it made it possible to organize commercial oil production at the field in just four years. Already in 2018, it is planned to extract 6.3 million tons of raw materials here. The plan for further development of the field will be determined by the end of 2017.
Oil from the Novoportovskoye field is delivered via an oil pipeline with a length of more than 100 km to the coast of the Gulf of Ob. It has a critically shallow navigation fairway depth of 11 meters, in connection with which the oil terminal is located directly at sea - 3.5 km from the coast. The terminal's oil transshipment capacity is up to 8.5 million tons per year. It allows year-round shipment of oil produced in Yamal to tankers for further transportation along the Northern Sea Route.
The Gates of the Arctic sea terminal is a unique building. The terminal is designed to operate in extreme natural and climatic conditions: the temperature in the region drops below -50 degrees Celsius, the ice thickness can exceed two meters. It has a two-level protection system and meets the most stringent requirements in the field of industrial safety and environmental protection.
The terminal equipment is fully automated and reliably protected from water hammer. A special system allows you to instantly undock the terminal and the tanker, while maintaining the tightness of the disconnected elements. The “zero discharge” technology prevents any foreign matter from entering the waters of the Gulf of Ob, which is extremely important for preserving the ecology of the Arctic. In addition, the subsea pipeline connecting the terminal to the offshore tank farm is protected by an additional concrete shell.
“Gazprom is consistently developing the Russian Arctic. Oil is being successfully produced at the Prirazlomnoye field, the only hydrocarbon development project on the Russian Arctic shelf. A gas production center that has no analogues in the world is developing at full speed on the Yamal Peninsula. Now here, together with the gas center, we are creating a new oil province. The Gates of the Arctic is open to Yamal oil, which will be supplied to European consumers all year round via the Northern Sea Route,” said Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee.
Reference
The Novoportovskoye oil and gas condensate field is located in the southeastern part of the Yamal Peninsula, 250 km north of the city of Nadym and 30 km from the coast of the Gulf of Ob. The recoverable reserves of C1+C2 category liquid hydrocarbons are over 250 million tons. The field development operator is Gazprom Neft PJSC.
The Novy Port oil grade belongs to medium density grades and contains less sulfur (about 0.1) than the Urals blend.
The possibility of exporting oil by sea was confirmed in 2011 after pilot testing nuclear icebreaker from the port of Sabetta (north-east of the Yamal Peninsula) to Cape Kamenny. First in Russian history the experience of exporting oil from Yamal by tanker by sea was obtained in the summer of 2014.
To date, the volume of investments in the development of the Novoportovskoye field has amounted to 180 billion rubles, the expected tax revenues during the implementation of the project will exceed 1.5 trillion rubles.
During the development of the field, a program is being implemented to increase the population of northern commercial fish. In particular, in 2015 about 4 million muksun fry and other fish species were released into the Ob and the rivers of the Ob-Irtysh basin. In 2016-2018, another 24 million whitefish fry are planned to be released.
PJSC Gazprom Information Department
