Putin gives signal to Rosneft, Exxon to start drilling Russia's northernmost well
SOCHI, Russia. Aug 11 (Interfax) - President Vladimir Putin, over a teleconference bridge on Saturday, gave the signal to start drilling Russia's northernmost offshore exploration well, Universitetskaya 1, at the West Alpha platform in the Kara Sea.
Rosneft President Igor Sechin and Exxon Mobil Russia head Glenn Waller took part in the launch ceremony in the Kara Sea.
The drilling of Universitetskaya 1 in the East Prinovozemelsky field will continue until the end of October, before the ice period season starts.
It began one year before the license commitments of Rosneft and Exxon take effect.
The well is due to undergo a postcompletional flow test in 2015 and to be abandoned the same year.
West Alpha has been modernized for use in the Arctic, being fitted with modern equipment for ice control and the prevention of collisions with icebergs.
Rosneft and Exxon have leased West Alpha from the Seadrill company for a period until July 2016 with the possibility of a one-year extension of the lease. The platform may operate at a maximum sea depth of 2,000 feet (about 610 meters) and drill wells of a maximum depth of 23,000 feet (more than 7 kilometers).
The project is based on a Rosneft-Exxon strategic cooperation agreement that covers planned drilling in three areas in East Prinovozemelsky.
The deal covers an area of 125,900 square kilometers in the Kara Sea that comprises more than 25 structures between 130 and 300 kilometers from shore containing an estimated 11.8 billion tonnes of oil equivalent.