Gazprom Neft launches shale oil production projectOctober 30, 2012 - 13:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of energy giant Gazprom, has launched a project to develop shale oil production in Russia, the company said in a statement, according to RIA Novosti. “In contrast to shale gas extraction, tight oil production is of considerable interest for Gazprom Group and we will work actively on this issue,” Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said. The Gazprom Neft board of directors discussed shale oil production in Russia last Friday after the company launched a joint project with Shell to develop the Bazhenov formation at the Upper Salym oilfield in West Siberia. The deposit will be operated by Salym Petroleum Development (SPD), a 50-50 joint venture between Gazprom Neft and Shell. “Experts of Gazprom Neft, Shell and SPD created a road map that defines the steps to achieve the main goal - the development of the Bazhenov formation on an industrial scale,” the statement said. Shale oil hydrocarbons located in West Siberia in the Bazhenov, Abalak and Frolovskaya rock formations with ultra-low permeability but high oil saturation lie at a depth of more than 2 km (1.2 miles) and spread over more than 1 million square km. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. Mkhitaryan raises arrest of former Karabakh leaders in Azerbaijan Inter Milan star Henrikh Mkhitaryan has shared a news story about the extension of the arrest of former Karabakh leaders. |