SPRING IN SOBOLINOYE

THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

ACT

We, the undersigned:  Head of Karagasok Oil&Gas exploratory expedition  Durnev Yu.K., Chief Geologist Krasnova V.P., technician-geologist of the Testing Department Goncharova T.Z., Chief of Oil &Gas Wells Testing Party of crew 16 of Neftegasorazvedka complex Ikonnikov A.V., hereby certify that at well 171 of Sobolinoye potential area testing of the second object was performed in the intervals 213902129 m, in Valanginian deposits…

When testing started at well 171 of Sobolinoye area, dozens of people called in the office of Karagasok exploratory expedition every day, called by phone, worried, inquired…Drilling   foreman Sauban Gusmanovich Gusmanov and his brigade.
 And an oil fountain gushed at Sobolinoye!  It was like a greeting from the land to those who had worked hard to make the fountain see the light.

“Severnaya Pravda”, April 11, 1967.

The oil explorers dedicate the new oil field to International Day of Workers – the 1st of May, and the 50th jubilee of October Revolution.

“Severnaya Pravda”, April 25, 1967.

Different documents of the epoch – accurate official acts as well  enthusiastic newspaper articles  - report about the same event: Sobolinoye potential area stopped being potential. It became an oilfield.

It happened forty years ago.

YESTERDAY

At those times, the times of oil romanticism, discovery of each new oilfield was a triumph:  Western Siberia had started to liquidate deficit of  fuel typical for the great country in the mid sixties. But soon oil giants, Samotlor and the like, were discovered and small oilfields, like Sobolinoye, remained intact –until  better times come.

“Better times” didn’t bring better life. Exploitation of Sobolinoye started in 1993 – one of the most economically absurd years in modern history of the country.   The license for development of the oilfield was issued to a closed joint stock company set up within the framework of Production Association “Tomskneftegasgeologia”. Of course, raw materials production was not geologists’ business. But they had to work in this business, for they had to keep afloat their wonderful industry, which was sinking in the stormy ocean of the market.
“The first stage of capitalism” demonstrated itself at large here.

“When we came to Sobolinoye”, we were not surprised by the situation, we were rather shocked”, said Valery Gabrielian. “Primeval labor conditions, shabby hutments, equipment you won’t already see anywhere else …”

“We” means “RussNeft” company, and Gabrielian was its authorized representative. Valery Nikolayevich himself is an experienced geologist and a large-scale manager who during his more than thirty-year working carrier occupied different positions and one of them was the Director of the giant “Zapoliarnefyegasgeologia” of “Glavtyumengeologia”. And he was just the very man who knew how to do the work. 

TODAY

Sobolinoye and the adjoining Gurarinskoye oilfields (the latter was named after the olest Siberian geologist-oilman, professor Fabian Gurari, who was 90 on April 22 this year) are situated at about 100 kilometers south-west of Kargasok, among Vasiugan swamps. Further to the south-west, in Parabel district there is a whole group of oilfields belonging to Yuzhno-Pudinsky area:  Kulginskoye, Boltnoye, Smolianoye, Solonovskoye, Yuzhno-Tabaganskoye… All these oilfields belonged to the company “Benodet”, were acquired by “RussNeft” and  placed under operative management of ZAO Sobolinoye.

It was in November 2004. 

The company was not renamed. What’s in a name? Gabrielian started to change the content.

Only two years have passed since that date, but the contrast between the past and the present situation is dramatic. Ravines and gullies are liquidated. Now among the swamps you can see neat cottages with twin bedrooms, shower cabins, a canteen, a gym and a billiard. The oilmen wear slippers there in order not to disturb the blessed silence.

In a word, it’s beautiful. But one realizes the actual beauty of the place not by admiring the interiors of the camp, but getting to know the production proce4ss.
“We were developing production and life conditions in parallel”, says Valery Gabrielian. We put into operation а modular GPS. We changed production technology. We built a power line from Sobolinoye to Gurarinskoye. We are now    associated methane, thanks to the fact that it is abundant. Now power at the oilfields is obtained through the use of associated gas. We fully recycle bottom   water, which is pumped back to the reservoir. The majority of environment problems are solved and this means that we can speak about development of culture – both culture of production and culture in general.

The results of such work are impressive. Production grew dramatically and at the same time  the process is regulated.  “RussNeft” is seriously interested in development of small-scale oilfields in Tomsk region on a long-term basis. And in this connection it is very important  to highlight the problem which can soundly be  called the most important one for the present-day Oil and gas complex of Russia: the problem of  hydrocarbon reserves growth.

TOMORROW

The analysts, who command the most detailed information, have for long been worried: the country is spending its own resources but isn’t compensating the spent volumes. Geological exploration maturity even of the most prospective and rich oil and gas provinces is very poor. Cunning politicians in business circles offer consolations of the kind: ”Russia have plenty of oil for the next 30 years...”
This reason is not much more convincing that the universally known saying: “After us the deluge” and the like. Three decades is a good basis, but only in the case that we are already working in favor the next thirty years and confidently count the future receipts to the symbolic all-nation reservoir. Unfortunately, thinking in advance is not a common feature with our subsoil users.

Fortunately, ZAO “Sobolinoye” practices another approach.

Here are the figures which speak for themselves.

In 2004 the investments into geological exploration amounted to 26.6 million rubles. In 2006  this figure increased five-fold (!)  - 133.1 million. @D seismic works in 2004 and 2006 respectively: 0 and 550 lineal kilometers. Oil resources growth, category C, in 2006 amounted to 1.6 million tons,  in the first three months of  2007 – 600 thousand tons, and fro the next year the planned growth is about 3-3.5 million tons.

A thoroughgoing program of development is worked out fro the period up to 2010 inclusive. Its target values are: to drill 13 exploration wells, total length 36 thousand meters and provide for resources C1+C2 growth in amount of 11.5 million tons.

“TN”-REFERENCE

Since 2005 ZAO “Sobolinoye” has produced more than 1 million tons of oil, more than 260 million rubles is invested, about 10000 meters of deep wells is drilled, five oilfields have been reactivated and three oilfields were put into operation. 3.3 million rubles was spent within the frames of social and economical partnership with the administration of Parabel and Kargasok districts.

ALWAYS

Vladimir Yemeshev, Deputy Governor, responsible, among other things, for the subsoil assets of Tomsk region, has recently published the credo of the local administration:
“We would like to see the oil and gas companies headed by the people who really care about the needs of the Region.”
 “ I fully support such position and such point of view”, Valery Gabrielian says. “The richness of the country is sourced by the strong region”.

It worth saying, that the relations between administration of ZAO “Sobolinoye” and the local administration are those of mutual understanding, and not only at the regional level, but in the districts as well. Valery Nilolayevich  appreciates good relations with Anatoly Rozhkov and Alexander Karlov, the heads of Kargasok and Parabel administrations. He has no contradictions with Federal structures either.

Today the whole team of ZAO “Sobolinoye” counts 226 people. About one third of them are engineers and managers. The proportion 1:3 may seem abnormal, but it should be taken into account that “Sobolinoye” works with 43 contractors, and their work is to be supervised and regulated.

“Actually, our personnel can do the work of a large-scale administrative staff machinery”, says Gabrielian proudly.

And he starts listing the names: Mikhail Gorodnikov, Alexander Grot, Anton Berezovsky, Nikolay Drozdov, Sergei Bushlanov, Alexander Ivanov, Anna Balandina, Natalia Starodumova…

There are people – and things - one can be proud of.

In other words, “Sobolinoye” oilfield has passed the way to its 40th jubilee wisely and quoteworthy.

        Victor Loisha