Gazprom Neft begins commercial hydrocarbon production at Block 3A of Urengoyskoye field's Achimov deposits

MOSCOW. May 28 (Interfax) - Gazprom Neft has in its capacity as operator begun commercial hydrocarbon production at Block 3A of the Urengoyskoye field's Achimov deposits, parent company Gazprom said.

Annual production at the section will be up to 5 billion cubic meters of gas and 1.5 million tonnes of gas condensate. The gas is intended for Russia's Unified Gas Supply System. Stable gas condensate will be fed via the Urengoyskaya oil pumping station into the Urengoy - Pur-Pe oil and condensate pipeline. Unstable gas condensate will be shipped to the Urengoy condensate preparation plant for transport, and a broad fraction of light hydrocarbons will be sent to the Gazprom Processing Surgut condensate stabilization plant.

The Urengoyskoye field is one of the world's largest by initial hydrocarbon reserves. It is located in the Nadym-Pur-Taz region of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, a long-standing hydrocarbon production region in Russia. Gas production at the field began in 1978.

The Achimov deposits which are deeper than the traditional Cenomanian and Valanginian deposits, are being put into production consecutively to ensure the most effective development of reserves.

The Urengoyskoye Achimov deposits lie at depths 3,400-3,800 meters and high formation pressure of over 600 atm. They are also marked by their complex geological structure and low permeability.