IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHTOKMAN PROJECT START OF HYDROCARBON RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ON THE ARCTIC SHELF OF RUSSIA V.S. Vovk (Gazprom), A.Ya. Mandel (Gazprom dobycha shelf), R.O. Samsonov (Gazprom VNIIGAZ) The depletion of onshore oil and gas conditions the need for accelerated development of offshore fields of the World Ocean. The Russian Federation has the most extensive continental shelf in the world. According to both Russian and foreign geologists estimations, its major part is promising in terms of oil and gas deposits. First and foremost, it concerns the Arctic shelf of Russia, though the degree of its exploration accounts for approximately 10%. Meanwhile, unique and large oil and gas fields are discovered in this region of the World Ocean today; hydrocarbon resources of a range of structures in the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and other Seas of the region are estimated (Fig. 1). Total estimated hydrocarbon resources of the Arctic shelf of Russia amount to approximately 18% of the total resource volume of the World Ocean shelf. In recent years Gazprom has stimulated works on development of oil and gas resources on the continental shelf of the Arctic shelf of Russia. Prirazlomnoe, Schtokman, Severo-Kamennomysskoe, Kamennomysskoemore and Kirinskoe fields are considered among first sites for commissioning in the period from 2010 to 2020 (Fig. 2).
Fig. 1. Overview map of promising areas of the Russian shelf. Fig. 2. Promising oil and gas bearing areas of the Arctic shelf of Russia. The largest and the most promising field for working out the strategy of Russian gas industry development for the nearest 50 years is Shtokman GCF and its satellites. The proven C 1 and C 2 reserves of this field amount to approximately 3,8 trn. m 3 of gas and 37 mln. t. of condensate. The field is situated at 650 km to the north-east of Murmansk. The sea depth amounts to 350 m. This region is
located under extremely severe natural and climatic conditions: long polar night, frequent storms, ice and icebergs (Fig. 3). Fig. 3. Main properties of the Shtokman GCF. Gazprom VNIIGAZ, commissioned by Gazprom, drew up the design technological document for the development of the Shtokman GCF in 2006. It was approved by the Central Development Commission (Rosnedra Russian agency for subsoil use) in March 2007. In November 2007 the Gazprom s Management Committee approved the Feasibility study of investments in the integrated development of Shtokman GCF. The basic project of Schtokman GCF development stipulates the planned gas production level of 71,7 bil. m 3 /a, 50% of which is scheduled for supply to the unified gas supply system already by 2013 and other 50% is planned to use for liquefied gas production (LNG) from the beginning of 2014. It is planned to reach the maximum annual gas production level of 71,7 bil. m 3 /a by 2020. Gas condensate production will reach 650 thou. t/a by then. At the first Phase the LNG output will account for 7,5 mln. t/a, at the second Phase it will increase up to 15 mln. t/a and at the third Phase up to 30 mln. t/a. It is planned to supply LNG to Europe and countries of the Atlantic basin, including the USA. The field operation period 50 years.
Taking into account the tight schedule of the project implementation, lack of technical solutions and field development experience, which are proved by the world practice, in this region as well as the need for vast financial investments into the project, the Gazprom s Management decided to commission leading foreign oil and gas companies with experience in projects on offshore field development for the first Phase of the Shtokman GCF development. Therefore, Shtokman Development AG with 51% Gazprom s share, 25% Total and 24% StatoilHydro (Fig. 4) was established for the purpose of organizing engineering, construction and operation of facilities within the first Phase of the Shtokman GCF. Fig. 4. Operator of the first Phase of the project on the Shtokman GCF development Shtokman Development AG Main infrastructure facilities of the Shtokman GCF comprise wells, subsea production facilities, technological platforms, offshore pipelines, coastal technological complex, LNG plant and trunk gas pipeline for gas supply to UGSS. The production treatment will be carried out at three technological platforms and delivered via offshore pipeline to Tiberica township at the second Phase. The majority of gas will be liquefied at LNG plant and supplied for export to special vessels via constructed marine terminal.
All this requires addressing for the first time in the world practice a range of technically complicated issues connected with ensuring all-year-round failure-free operation of drilling and production facilities under complicated hydrometeorologic conditions, including ice conditions, at the considerable distance from coastal supply bases. The formulated tasks will be fulfilled using the following technical solutions: - Subsea well completion; - Increased production rate of wells; - Offshore ice-resistant detachable platforms; - Extensive subsea pipelines for gas and condensate transmission; - LNG plant with technological lines of high production rate under Arctic conditions. The general scheme of Shtokman GCF infrastructure is presented at Figure 5. The implementation of listed technical solutions requires introduction of new technologies, which has been never used in Russia yet and in some cases never used in the world practice. At the same time the subsidiary company of Gazprom Gazprom dobycha shelf carries out preliminary works for development of the 2 nd and 3 rd Phases of Shtokman GCF. Such works are carried out taking into account technical and organizational solutions, which are being developed for the first Phase.
Fig. 5. Scheme of Shtokman GCF facilities. As it has been already said, the Shtokman field is the first field of the Arctic shelf of Russia that is scheduled for commissioning in the near future. Thus, it is necessary to develop the corresponding regulative base for engineering and operation of facilities, which is practically missing in Russia now. In particular, it is necessary to identify and approve the requirements for the equipment that can be used on the Arctic shelf. To accelerate this process, special Technical Specifications (STS) will be worked out for the Shtokman project. One of the main requirements for equipment is reliability. Extreme environmental conditions, the project scope and its long implementation period create the need for special requirements for equipment and systems, taking into account the potential of both Russian and foreign industry given their maximum harmonization. Such approach will allow to use new Russian equipment at other fields of the Arctic region further on. Other important issue to be addressed for successful implementation of the Shtokman project is insufficient development of coastal infrastructure and absence of specialized vessels and bulk carriers. The Shtokman GCF with developed infrastructure will in fact become the centre of oil and gas production province in the Barents Sea. Gazprom has
developed the program of integrated development of this region. The program comprises: Cooperation with current coastal gas production facilities; Establishment of unified production collection, treatment and transmission system for the group of adjacent fields; Development of the unified integrated system of remote management of offshore production facilities. The comprehensive scheme of infrastructure development at fields in the Barents Sea will account for maximum production level of the Shtokman GCF, capacities of which, released in the period of declining production, will be used for collection, treatment and transmission of production of field satellites. It will condition the time and order for commissioning other fields of the Shtokman region (Fig. 6). Fig. 6. Integrated development of the Shtokman GCF and its satellites. Thus, the implementation of the Shtokman project will require development and introduction of brand new technologies and technical means, drawing up the Russian regulative base, implementation of the personnel program, development of infrastructure and specialized fleet that can ensure sustainable development of oil
and gas industry in the Arctic region. It is necessary to set up and provide the operation of infrastructure of constant meteorologic support for works on the continental shelf, unified state system of emergency and navigational and hydrographic support for offshore works, environmental and radiation safety systems, antiterrorist and countersabotage protection, etc. The achievement of all mentioned tasks requires engaging both corporate (Gazprom) and state funds. At present there are negotiations on the participation of the Russian Ministry of Transport in construction of specialized ports at the coast of the Kola Peninsula and on creation of gas carriers fleet, etc. The stated tasks will be achieved using intellectual and industrial potential of Russia and contemporary global experience in this area, which will allow to perform large-scale works on the hydrocarbon resources development on the Arctic shelf of Russia.