Gazprom subsidiary wins auction for Esselyakhsky oil and gas block in Yakutia, bids 20 times starting price

MOSCOW. March 31 (Interfax) - Gazprom subsidiary Gazprom Dobycha Noyabrsk LLC has won an auction for the Esselyakhsky oil and gas block in Yakutia, the Natural Resources Ministry told Interfax.

The company paid 1.434 billion rubles for the license, 20 times the starting price of 72.435 million rubles, with 108 increments made.

It was reported that Gazprom would bid against East Siberian Energy LLC, Eastsib Exploration LLC and East Energy LLC at the auction.

The block, measuring 2,440 square kilometers, is in the Suntarsky and Verkhnevilyuysky districts of Yakutia and is part of the West Vilyui oil and gas province.

Category D2 resources are oil - 1.1 million tonnes and gas - 5.1 billion cubic meters. The state VNIIGNI institute said that as of January 1, 2025, recoverable Dl resources were oil - 7.2 million tonnes and gas 107.19 bcm.

The block's entire area has been covered by a geological survey on a scale of 1:200,000, as well as gravimetric and magnetometric surveys on a scale of 1:200,000. Geological maps on scales of 1:500,000 and 1:200,000 have been compiled. Some of the license area is covered by a 2D common depth point seismic grid and a well, Atyakhskaya-451, has been drilled.