Public Joint Stock Gazprom Neft : Gazprom Neft establishes an industry competency centre in geophysical exploration

Gazprom Neft establishes an industry competency centre in geophysical exploration

24 November 2021

Technology

Gazprom Neft is to open an Exploration Geophysics Centre Exploration Geophysics Centre to support in-field geophysical activities throughout those regions in which the company operates. This project is expected to deliver savings of up to 10% in optimising fieldwork costs, as well as allowing the company to monetise its geological prospecting solutions on the industry market.

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The Centre will assume responsibility for managing in-field geophysical investigations across all Gazprom Neft subsidiaries, with this new division managing all seismic and electro-magnetic works across all company assets. Opening the Competency Centre is intended to address the challenges facing Gazprom Neft, while allowing the company to commercialise (monetise) its technological solutions, expertise and experience, specifically its environmentally friendly "Green Seismic" and drone-assisted geophysical surveying technologies.

Establishing the centre will also help Gazprom Neft optimise field survey costs - a benefit expected to be achieved by adopting a standard approach to activities across all locations in which the company operates, and by scaling up innovative hydrocarbon prospecting technologies, including the use of "Digital Twins" in seismic works.

The Exploration Geophysics Centre will be established within Gazpromneft-Geo, operator of Gazprom Neft's geological prospecting projects. In-field geophysical investigations using this new management model will be undertaken throughout the 2021-2022 season at license blocks covering more than 2,000 square kilometres in total across the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and the Tomsk Oblast.

"The projects we are working on nowadays involve an unprecedented level of risk and cost in terms of the environmental, geo-magnetic and climatic features of the locations in which we operate. We are placing ever more demanding environmental standards on ourselves, and on our contractors. And the chances of discovering major new fields, moreover, are significantly lower than 10 years ago. We rely on innovative technologies, as well as our own organisational experience, in managing the viability of geological prospecting projects. Establishing the Exploration Geophysics Centre will help ensure the optimum combination in terms of cost, lead-times and quality in undertaking works, as well as helping monetise our competencies. Going forward, the Centre will allow us to offer operatorship services not just throughout Gazprom Neft, but to other companies, as well. We also see it as our responsibility to create an environment in which to develop the exploration-geophysics market, and to promote experience and knowledge sharing among its participants."

Yuri MasalkinDirector for Geological Exploration and Resource-Base Development, Gazprom Neft

Notes for editors

Gazpromneft-GEO is a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft and operator on the company's major geological prospecting projects.

In-field geophysical investigations involve studying rock formations. They are undertaken by measuring and interpreting natural or artificial physical indicators - gravitational, magnetic, seismic, etc. More than 50 kinds of geophysical methodologies are currently available - airborne gravity prospecting, 2D and 3D seismic prospecting, borehole seismology, and more.

Electro-magnetic prospecting involves a range of geophysical exploration methodologies allowing information on the properties of different horizons in a geological section to be interpreted. This analysis makes it possible to identify those areas worth prospecting for mineral deposits.

Green Seismic technology is based on using lightweight technical equipment and wireless radio-telemetry data-logging systems, meaning manmade environmental impacts on forested areas can be reduced. Using compact mobile equipment helps reduce the width of forestry-clearance access trails for delivering and installing seismic-recording equipment by as much as five-fold. Second generation technology - Green Seismic 2.0 - is designed to allow further use of compact equipment, in this case drilling rigs for operations at access trails where seismic signals are generated.

The material mentioned:

Yuri Masalkin