Print

Rosnedra is considering the “option of tacit extension of licenses for two years, for example, for those companies who will fund at least 50% of investments of the previously declared volume into the geological exploration", -has stated to “Interfax" Anatoliy Ledovskikh, The Head of the Federal Subsoil Use Agency, on November 18, 2008. Further on, Anotoliy Ledkovskikh said: “Possibly we will send an offer to the government”. It is well known that the scope of geological exploration is the main mean of development of any oil company. Experts believed that authorization of such trifling funding to this overriding field will cause degradation of the oilfield service. Such decision will have destructive consequences not only on geophysical and drilling companies but also for petroleum engineering companies.

President of the Association of Oil and Gas Equipment Manufacturers, Alexander Romanikhin has commented the possible outcomes of that offer: “At present not all of us understand how many people are working in the oilfield service and mechanical engineering. Such inconsistent decisions as the authorization of only 50% of investment into geological exploration will lead to the large-scale lay-off and to the liquidation of Russian oilfield and mechanical engineering companies. If the subsoil user is unable to duly perform its obligations, so we need to replace him". Later on Mr. Romanikhin has remembered the speaking of the Natural Resources Minister Yuriy Trutnev who reported to “Kommersant” on October 23, 2008 that the financial crisis is not an excuse for other companies not to meet the conditions of license agreements.

Due to the lack of financial resources we need to try our best that the orders for the manufacturing of industrial products designed for TEK (fuel and gas sectors) were placed in Russia not abroad. Preservations of job and non- declining of the industry is the main issue of the government. Experts are perplexed by the Agreement entered between Export-import bank of China and "Gazprombank" OJSC on October 28, 2008. In Compliance with the Agreement, “Gazprombank” OJSC is going to obtain the credit in the amount of 300 mln US dollars that would fund the supply of oil and gas equipment from China to Russia. Specifically, avoiding any bids, it is planned to deliver Chinese drilling rigs to Russia in the amount of more than 110 mln US dollars.

Russia has a developed drilling rig manufacturing industry. Drilling rigs are in Tyumen Shipbuilding Plant (Tyumen Sudostoitel’niy zavod), Volgograd drilling equipment plant, “Uralmash-drilling equipment” plant, Kungurskiy mashinostritel’niy zavod” and other companies. Thus, most of domestic plants are supplying materials, parts and accessories for drilling rigs. For the last several years great funding was introduced into the development of production, research and engineering potential of Russian petroleum engineering. Our drilling rigs can defy competition with imported machinery. Even foreign western drilling companies are purchasing Russian drilling rigs. They are used for the development of Yamal peninsular, a resource base of the Russian Federation. Forcible purchasing of Chinese drilling rigs during the financial crisis will seriously affect domestic petroleum engineering. The companies will be forced to reduce work places and freeze development programs that will cause the decline of petroleum engineering. The Association of Oil and Gas Equipment Manufacturers proposed to include requirements into the subsoil use license agreements for retooling and modernization of the oilfield complex using domestic industrial products. This will enable the development of domestic market and reduce costs for oil and gas production. Obtaining and extension of licenses for the development of raw hydrocarbon deposits must be boosted by the priority use of equipment and services proposed by native companies. “This is a true method that will help to pass from high talks to real protection of domestic producers. If oil companies want to review license agreements, our government must advance the counterclaim for the purchase of equipment and services domestically. We need to develop our market, but not Chinese or American. It is important that such actions can apply in full to the private oil companies", - said Mr. Romanikhin.

  Previous  |  Next  

Up