Modern oil production. Mechanized way: gas lift

Since the beginning of the use of oil on an industrial scale, the need for its extraction has been steadily increasing. modern industry uses oil to produce various fuels, building materials. Oil also serves as a raw material in the production of protein supplements for livestock.

Approximately 13% of all the world's explored oil deposits are located on the territory of Russia. Since the lands are rich in oil reserves, certain methods of extraction have been developed. The largest field in Russia is Samotlor. Oil and gas industry for the Russian economy is budget-forming.

Basic information

Oil is a hydrocarbon liquid of natural origin, oily to the touch.

The accumulation of oil occurs in porous rocks surrounded by a ring of dense layers of the earth. Tight rocks do not allow oil leakage. So, an ideal type of natural reservoir can serve as a layer of sandstone surrounded by clay, while this layer should be domed.

When an oil deposit is discovered, it is first necessary to assess its quantity and quality in an underground reservoir.

Then economic calculations are made to determine the need for further development of the field. If the calculation result is positive, then a decision is made to drill additional wells and install necessary equipment.

The ratio of oil located underground to the amount of oil that can be extracted is called the oil recovery factor. Previously, the value of the coefficient of 30% percent was considered acceptable. With the development of technology, the value of the coefficient increased to 45%. With the growth of oil production technologies, this figure should steadily increase.

The underground reservoir contains crude oil. Also inside the field, along with oil, there are gas and water, usually under high pressure. The method of oil extraction depends on the magnitude of this pressure. When the pressure is sufficient to displace oil to the surface of the earth, the gushing method is used.

Gushing method

The gushing method of oil production is considered the simplest and most effective, especially in new areas. This method does not require significant financial costs on the rise of raw materials, and during its use exclusively excess pressure inside the reservoir is used.

The gushing method of oil production is one of the cheapest in Russia. The advantages of the application in comparison with other methods of field exploitation include the following:

• simple well equipment;
• electricity is not supplied to the well from the surface;
• ample opportunities for adjusting the functioning of the well;
• the use of almost all known methods in the study of wells and rock layers;
• the ability to control production at a distance;
• long interservice interval of operation of mechanisms;

In order to start operating a well in a flowing way, it must be equipped with special shut-off valves, which will make it possible to seal the wellhead, adjust and control the operating modes of the well, and reliably ensure the absolute shut-off of the well under pressure.

Some time after the start of operation, the pressure in the well decreases and the fountain dries up. In order to ensure that production does not stop there, methods of extraction have been developed using an external source of energy, which contributes to the rise of oil to the earth's surface.

Gas lift method of oil production in Russia

When using the gas lift method, a gaseous substance is pumped into the well with the help of a compressor, which is mixed with oil. In this case, there is a decrease in the density of oil, and an increase in bottomhole pressure compared to the pressure inside the reservoir, which contributes to the rise of liquid to the surface of the earth.

Educational film - Oil production

Sometimes nearby gas fields are used to supply gas to the well under pressure (non-compressor gas lift method). At a small number of previously explored deposits, airlift systems are used, they use compressed air.

The gas lift method of oil production has the following advantages:

• mechanisms are located on the ground;
• simplicity of equipment designs;
• well depths and diameters do not affect the possibility of producing large volumes of fluid;
• ease of adjusting the oil flow rate of the well;

But at the same time, the gas lift method of oil production has some disadvantages:

• combustion of associated petroleum gas mixed with air;
• increased corrosion wear of pipelines.
• significant capital investments in the construction of compressor stations, hydraulic fracturing and a network of gas pipes for transferring gas to initial stage development of fields;
• high specific energy costs for the extraction of a unit of production during the operation of marginal wells;

In Russia, the gas lift method is used in fields located in Western Siberia.

pumping method

To use the pumping method of operation, pumping equipment is lowered to the estimated depth. The energy necessary for the operation of the equipment is transmitted in various ways from the surface of the earth.

General scheme of oil production

At oil fields in Russia, work is mainly carried out using rod pumps.

To pump out oil using rod pumps, pipes are lowered into the well, inside which a cylinder, a suction valve and a plunger are installed. The operation of a rod pump is based on the mechanical transfer of motion energy (through rods).

With a depth of rod pumps up to 400 meters, the productivity can reach 500 m 3 / hour. The length of the rod depends on the depth of the well and is assembled by connecting parts eight meters long each. For precise selection of length, there are adjustable rods with a length of one meter.

The advantages of this method include:

• high reliability;
• ease of diagnosis;
• taking into account the speed and depth of the well, the pump is able to extract the product until the well is completely depleted;
• possibility of extraction at high temperatures;
• low cost.

The disadvantages include:

• impossibility of application for deviated wells;
• depth and volume of wells, limited by the weight of the rods and the margin of safety;
• limited service life.

The most widespread in Russia are installations with centrifugal electric pumps. Many fields use electrically driven downhole pumps to pump oil during operation. Centrifugal pumps are most appropriate for use in older fields with high water-to-oil ratios.

When using pumps, the oil recovery of the well increases. The greatest effect from the use of pumps can be obtained at the final stage of well operation.

The installation with a submersible electric pump includes:

• submersible motor;
• multistage pump;
• cable line of power supply.

The equipment is lowered into the well through pumping pipes. The control station and the transformer are installed on the surface.

Screw pumps

Screw pumps work according to the principle of rotary extrusion of liquid. Having the shape of a spiral, the system is based on a rotor that rotates inside a fixed stator. The rotor is in the form of a screw having a small diameter with a deep round thread and a very large distance between adjacent thread vertices.

PCM Moineau Screw Pump Systems for Heavy Oil Production

The operation of the rotor is provided with the help of rods that are attached to the engine installed on the ground. In modern rotary installations, submersible electric motors are used, and the rotation of the rotor is provided with a gearbox. In most cases, screw pumps have a wide range of capabilities and are highly reliable in operation.

Due to their design, they have high efficiency and significant resistance to interaction with hard abrasive particles. The use of low power motors ensures low power consumption and reduces the costs associated with lifting oil.

Compared to rod pumps, screw pumps have a longer service life, and due to the lower rotational speed, rod failures are less common. The initial investment for these is usually lower than for other artificial lift methods.

Screw pumps have a capacity of up to 800 m 3 of oil production per day and are used at a depth of up to three kilometers. The disadvantages include the inability to work with hydrogen sulfide or some chemicals.

Summing up, it is worth emphasizing that any oil production technology is good, the appropriate one is selected based on the properties of oil reservoirs and the initial capital of the investor. So, the flowing method is the simplest, the gas lift method is the most specific, and the pumping method is the most popular way of removing oil from the bowels of the earth today.

Video: Oil production in Russia

Every day, the world's largest oil producers extract about 100 million barrels of minerals from the fields. The leading oil powers are Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States. It is they who provide the world market with 39% black gold.

The TOP 10 included leading countries in oil production over the past year.

2.5 million barrels per day

Opens the top ten largest oil producers in the world. The country's economy as a whole depends on the sale of fossil raw materials. Venezuelan exports are 96% oil sales. The country produces about 2.5 million barrels per day. The world share in the production of export raw materials is 3.65%. In terms of world oil reserves, Venezuela occupies the first position: about 46 billion tons of raw materials are concentrated there.

2.7 million barrels per day

Included in the top ten oil leaders. Their export share in the world market is 3.81%. The main deposits of useful raw materials are concentrated directly in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and account for 95%, the remaining 5% are in the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah. The country produces about 2.7 million barrels daily. The total oil reserves in the emirates amount to 13 billion tons of unused raw materials. The largest consumers of the United Arab Emirates product are Japan, Thailand, India, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and China.

2.8 million barrels per day

It has 9% of the world's oil reserves, which is approximately 14 billion tons. Thanks to this, the state has become one of the largest earners. Its share is 3.90% of the total supply of black gold to the world market. The country produces about 2.8 million barrels of raw materials per day. The largest oil field is Bolshoy Burgan, from where half of the production is extracted. The rest of the product is provided by the southern Minagish and Umm Gudair deposits, as well as the northern Raudhaiten and Sabriyakh. The country sells the resulting oil products to the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Morocco, Jordan and China.

3 million barrels per day

It is one of the most reputable producers of natural raw materials in the world, which is beginning to gain momentum in Lately. And this is no coincidence, because the country's economy is directly dependent on oil exports. The total part of state revenues from the sale of petroleum products is approximately 90%. About 3 million barrels and more are extracted from the fields per day. The share of raw materials extracted by Iraq from the total world share is 4.24% today. There are 20 billion tons of black gold reserves in the country.

Country Iran

- one of the largest oil powers in the world, which has huge reserves of raw minerals. The main part of raw materials is extracted from the Persian Gulf basin. According to researchers, the content of known black gold deposits will last the country for about 90 years. In terms of total oil reserves, which amount to 21 billion tons, the country is in third place. Iran extracts more than 3 million barrels of oil from the oil fields every day. The share of the country's production in the world market segment is 4.25%. The main consumers of the Iranian product are China, Japan, Turkey, India and South Korea. Almost half of the state's income comes from the export of petroleum products.

3 million barrels per day

is one of the leading producers and exporters of oil. The volume of extracted raw materials per day is more than 3 million barrels. The largest mineral deposit is one of the provinces of Canada - Alberta. The country is considered the main supplier of "black gold" to the United States, where more than 90% of the crude product is sold. The total world share of the exporter's production is 4.54%. The state has inexhaustible reserves of natural raw materials and is among the three richest countries in terms of oil reserves, which are estimated at 28 billion tons.

4 million barrels per day

(PRC) is one of the largest oil producers. The share of the world volume for the extraction of raw materials is 5.71%. More than 4 million barrels are extracted daily from the depths of the earth with the help of drilling rigs. The country is not only the largest exporter, but also one of the leaders in the consumption of raw materials due to the large population. The state does not have the largest oil reserves, of which there are 2.5 billion tons. Russia is one of China's largest oil importers.

9 million barrels per day

(11.80%) opens the top three world giants in oil production. The United States is engaged not only in exports, but also in imports of raw materials. Great amount drills extract up to 9 million barrels of fossil daily. As a percentage, the annual production volume is 11.80% in relation to other world oil producers. There are three main states that produce the product in the country - California, Alaska and Texas. The country has reserved a strategic reserve of black raw materials for use in case of unforeseen circumstances.

10 million barrels per day

- one of the world's largest black gold miners. The entire economy of a country in the Middle East rests on the export of oil, which it supplies to states East Asia and USA. Part of the external income received by Saudi Arabia from the sale of precious raw materials is about 90%. Oil fields in the country are controlled by Saudi Aramco. The world share of mining in the country is 13.23%. Daily work brings up to 10 million barrels per day. The country's proven mineral reserves are 36.7 billion tons.

more than 10 million barrels per day

It is the rightful leader in oil production in the world. And this is not accidental, since the Russian Federation is considered the richest country in terms of reserves not only of "black gold", but also of other minerals. It is literally a storehouse of natural gas, non-ferrous metals and hard coal. Oil is extracted not only for export, but also for the production of fuel material. The total volume of its proven reserves is over 14 billion tons. More than 10 million barrels per day are extracted from fields every day, and this volume is constantly growing. As a percentage of world oil production, the share of the Russian Federation is 13.92%.

Oil is a lady of a very respectable age. The very first deposits of earthen oil, according to scientists, arose 600 million years ago. Then the oceans were much larger, and some modern islands were hidden under water, including the territories of countries where oil is produced today.

Where did oil come from?

The oceans once teemed with the life of many plants and animals, the remains of which have sunk to the bottom for hundreds of millions of years. Together with the layers of the earth, they created deposits, which became more and more. Under the influence of enormous pressure, a constant process of metamorphosis of organic residues into oil droplets took place. The pressure was so powerful that in some places, especially with the porous structure of the upper layers of the soil, these drops broke out and gradually created oil deposits. Through layers of sand and lime, oil broke out, but layers of stones often appeared on its way, it fell into traps in which all cavities and depressions were filled with liquid. Now the extraction of black gold in the world consists in trying to drill wells in order to penetrate into these huge filled cavities.

How are oil fields arranged?

Huge oil fields, such as those in the Middle East, lie under large stone domes where oil accumulates. Deposits on the European continent are huge salt domes that push powerful stone slabs up, as a result, oil fills the formed cavities.

Oil consumption

The world as we know it would be very different if there was no oil. It is even hard to imagine how many everyday things are created from it. Synthetic fibers that make up clothing, all plastic used in everyday life and industry, medicines, cosmetics - all this is created from oil.

Almost half of the energy that is consumed by mankind is produced from earth oil. It is consumed by aircraft engines, as well as almost all vehicles in the world. Oil is also burned to generate electricity. The generated electricity drives industrial machines and is the basis of daily life in the industrial world.

Black gold deposits

The Middle East, primarily the Arab countries and Iran, satisfies almost half of the world's oil demand. There are also large oil fields in Russia, the USA, African countries such as Nigeria, as well as in North America. Huge deposits have been found in other places, but their development requires large financial costs and is accompanied by technical difficulties.

The world started in the USA. The first oil source was discovered in the USA in 1859. Oil bubbled up from a depth of 21 meters. The method of drilling at that time was extremely simple: a heavy chisel was suspended in a wooden drilling tower, which continuously crashed into the ground with noise and broke stones. The first offshore drilling rig was built in 1900 on the coast of California.

New volumes of oil production in the world can be hidden under deserts or swamps, under the bottom of the seas or blocks of Antarctic ice, it is difficult to recognize behind the terrain what is deep below, in the bowels of the earth. Therefore, the search for new oil fields is extremely difficult and requires huge financial costs.

Reserve and production of black gold

Oil production in the world is not an endless process. Based on available estimates, at the current level of production, its world geological reserves will last at least 46 years, including in Saudi Arabia - for 72 years, Iran - 88, Iraq - 128, Venezuela - 234, Libya - 77, Kuwait - 111, UAE - 94, Russia - 21, China - 10, USA - 11 years.

Oil production in the world (the table clearly shows this) is characterized by the TOP-10 champion countries.

Country	The volume of oil production, billion barrels per year
Saudi Arabia	4,22
Russia
USA	3,65
China	1,53
Canada	1,41
Iran	1,31
UAE	1,17
Iraq	1,09
Mexico	1,07
Kuwait	1,02

Oil production by country in different time was very different. Consider the history of countries that have grown rich on black gold.

Saudi Arabia

The leader is Saudi Arabia, its oil production in the world, the table confirms this, has made it an extremely wealthy state. Until 1938, the young kingdom called Saudi Arabia was one of the poorest countries in the world. In 1938, huge sources of oil were discovered in Saudi Arabia. Their development was hindered by the Second World War and work began only in 1946, and by 1949 the country's oil industry had reached a high level. Oil became the main source of wealth and prosperity of the kingdom. Oil exports enriched the kingdom by $310 billion in 2008. The entire Saudi industry is based on oil industry. The proven oil reserves in this country today are about 260 billion barrels, which is equal to 24% of the proven reserves on Earth. This number of discovered oil fields is steadily growing. Currently, Saudi Arabia is considered to be the richest country in the world.

Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the second largest producer of black gold in the world. Iran is a state that lives off the export of oil. Thanks to new discoveries of deposits, the country further strengthens the status of an oil giant. More recently, a giant oil reserve with reserves of 15 billion barrels was discovered in Iran.

Kuwait

The third place is occupied by Kuwait. Thanks to oil production, the state became rich: in the 70-80s, exports made the country the richest in the world. But in the 90s, the difficult political situation caused import deliveries to fail. The Iraqi invasion almost ruined the country, destroyed the former wealth. But for last years the state quickly returns to its former level. At present, substantial oil deposits have been found near Kuwait, about 102 billion barrels, which is 9% of all world reserves. The main share, about 95% of export revenues are oil and oil products.

Let's look into the future

Oil is everywhere these days. No other form can yet replace it as a source of energy. The annual oil production in the world is about 4.4 billion tons. They foretell that at the current level of consumption, its reserves will be enough (from known deposits) until 2025. If the volume of oil production in the world is reduced and new sources are discovered, earthen oil in the depths of the earth can be stretched for 150 - 1000 years. This is too small on a planetary scale. Nature needs 200 million years to create this mineral, and the current generation wastes it in a millionth time, that is, it behaves as if human civilization will disappear after it.

Sooner or later, humanity must change the way of life, dispose of oil sources wisely or look for other alternative energy sources. According to many experts, the picture of the future is as follows: oil reserves will be used mainly for raw materials chemical industry for the production of plastics, medicines and other high-quality products. Vehicles, cars and trucks or planes will move thanks to hydrogen. Electricity and heat energy will be produced from alternative renewable sources such as wind, sun and water. It remains only to protect what we have and wait for the future.

547.6 ml. tons of "black chisel" produced in 2016 by Russian oil companies put the Russian Federation at the top of the list of the largest oil producers. 66.5% of them were produced by three mining companies. Russia's position as the largest exporter of this resource also remained unchanged.

 

Oil at all times serves as a source of power for any country, its national wealth. Oil production in Russia allowed the country to stand on a par with the largest producers of this most important fuel resource, and at the end of 2016, even the largest.

Modern Russia are among the world's largest producers of "black gold". More than 12% of world production is mined here. The main competitor is Saudi Arabia.

In October, Russia outperformed Saudi Arabia's average daily output. On average, our country produced 10.754 million barrels per day. " Russian newspaper»

Sources: Rosstat according to the Federal Customs Service of Russia, BP Statistical Review of World Energy

At the end of 2016, Russia reached a record production level of 547.6 million tons, of which 46.5% was exported to other countries. And the currency accounts of enterprises and organizations received 59013.8 million US dollars during the year.

The average producer price at the end of 2016 was 12,607 rubles per 1 ton of raw materials, the purchase price was 1.4 times higher, or 18,180 rubles.

Sources: Rosstat

Rosstat provides a comparative assessment of changes in average daily oil production over the past three years in the Russian Federation, OPEC countries and Saudi Arabia.

Source: Rosstat

Russia owes its recognition of the country as an oil power, first of all, to Azerbaijani oil. Huge inexhaustible developed reserves and their development on its territory will appear only later, by the second half of the 20th century.

And it started...

About three centuries ago, Peter the Great ordered "...to go to Baka, as soon as possible and try to get it with the help of God, of course, to get it... Onaya Baka is rich in oil of excellent quality ...". By imperial decree, General Matyushkin took Baku in 1723, and with it oil wells number of 48, of which pumped black oil and a few more with white.

Baku acquired a special status, its mayor was appointed personally by the emperor. So it was under Alexander III and Nicholas II. Russia with Azerbaijani oil by 1901 was recognized leader in terms of world production, 1.5 million tons against the background of 1 million from the United States inspired respect. The Azerbaijani region remained the main oil production area until the Second World War Soviet Union.

Source: "Collection of statistical data on the mining and metallurgical industry of Russia" (1912)

By 1940, out of 31.1 million tons mined in the USSR, 71% accounted for Azerbaijan, in 1945 it had already dropped to a level of 59% (11.5 million tons out of 19.4).

And the year 1950 is notable for the fact that the extensive Russian territory between the Volga and the Urals, as the main oil-producing region of the country, was called the "second Baku" and included oil production areas in Russia: the richest deposits of the Bashkir and Tatar Autonomous Republics. Its production has finally reached the pre-war level. And with the start of industrial exploitation of the West Siberian fields since 1964, constantly increasing volumes, the USSR became the first in the world in terms of oil production.

There were downs, there were ups. The graph clearly shows the indicators of oil production in Russia by years.

Rice. 2. Oil production (including condensate) in Russia in 1901 - 2016
Source: Rosstat

Export of oil in the Russian Federation

A lot of industrial developed countries fully provide themselves with this most important fuel resource. Among them is Russia. But none of them exports it to such a large extent. According to the latest data from Rosstat, out of 547.6 million tons, 254.8 (which is 47%) were exported to countries of near and far abroad. Moreover, this level remains almost unchanged for many years.

Table 4. Change in the ratio of oil production and export in Russian Federation
million tons

	Export of crude oil	Oil production	Ratio of oil production and export, %

Source: Rosstat

Rice. 3. Change in exports of crude oil in physical and monetary terms
Source: Rosstat

The share of crude oil exports in the country's foreign exchange earnings in 2016 was 26%. The decline in export prices had an impact on it.

The actual average export price of oil in December 2016 was USD 339.1 per ton, higher than it was in January (230.2), but did not reach the level of January 2015 - 399.9. And the world price for the brand "Urals" in December has already exceeded the level of the beginning of the previous year (340.0 in January 2015, 209.9 - in January 2016 and 380.2 dollars per ton - in December 2016). And how both of these prices have changed over the past two years, the graph will show.

Rice. 4. Change in the average actual export price of the Russian Federation and world oil prices in 2015-2016, dollars per ton
Sources: Rosstat, Russian Ministry of Finance

This state of affairs explains why, with the continued level of supplies of "black gold" abroad, foreign exchange earnings from its sale are declining.

Source: Rosstat

Russian oil is exported mainly to far abroad countries. According to the results of 2015, they accounted for 90.6%. The main importer among the CIS countries is Belarus.

Rice. 5. Structure of oil exports from the Russian Federation, in %
Source: Rosstat according to the Federal Customs Service of Russia.

According to Forbes, the largest buyers of Russian raw materials include: China, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Finland, Slovakia.

The largest oil fields in Russia

Not all mineral deposits are considered deposits. More often it is a group of deposits located in a certain territory, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich can reach hundreds of kilometers.

Order of the Ministry natural resources Russian Federation No. 298 dated 01.11.2005. a new “Classification of reserves and probable resources of oil and combustible gases” has been introduced, according to which all deposits are divided into groups and depend on the amount of the deposited mineral (million tons):

• very small - up to 1;
• small - 1-5;
• medium - 5-30;
• large - 30-300;
• unique - 300 or more.

According to the Interfax Agency, Russia became the first in the world in oil production. This was made possible by proven reserves largest deposits.

Saudi Arabia cut oil production and exports in December from historical highs recorded in the previous month, according to data from the Joint Organization Data Initiative (JODI). This allowed Russia to come out on top in the world in terms of oil production, although it also reduced production.
INTERFAX.RU Moscow. February 20, 2017

Western Siberia, with its Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets districts, remains the central mining area in Russia. It is on a par with such major oil and gas basins as the Persian and Mexican Gulfs, the Sahara and Alaska. Most of the deposits began to be developed back in Soviet time.

As of January 1, 2015, the prospective recoverable reserves of this mineral in the Russian Federation amounted to 18,340.1 million tons.

Source: State report of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation “On the state and use mineral resources Russian Federation in 2014"

Table 6. The largest oil fields in terms of recoverable reserves

	Millions of tons	Year of commencement of operation	Where is
Samotlor			Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
Romashkinskoe			Tatarstan, Almetyevsk
Priobskoe			Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
Arlan			Udmurtia
Vankor			Krasnoyarsk region
			Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Lyantorskoe			Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
Tuimazinskoe			Bashkortostan
Fedorovskoye			Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
Mamontovskoe			Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug

Sources: vestifinance.ru

At the same time, exploration work continues, new promising places are being explored, including Sakhalin-5, which has been actively developed already in the current century, and oil reserves are estimated at 1.5 billion tons, as well as Velikoye, which is in the Arkhangelsk lands with reserves estimated at 300 million tons.

Almost half of all recoverable reserves of Russian oil falls on the top five largest fields:

• Samotlor;
• Romashkinskoye;
• Priobskoye;
• Arlan;
• Vankor.

Sources: vestifinance.ru, State report of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation "On the state and use of mineral resources of the Russian Federation in 2014"

Major companies

For the Russian Federation, which has huge oil reserves, oil companies serve as a real source of budget replenishment, which can be safely classified as strategic. The largest oil companies remain profitable even when world prices fall.

Table 7. Change in oil production volumes by Russian enterprises in 2011-2016 Million tons

NK Rosneft
PJSC " Oil company"LUKOIL"
OAO Surgutneftegaz
Gazprom Neft
"Tatneft"
JSC NGK Slavneft
Bashneft
PJSC NK RussNeft
For reference: in the Russian Federation

Russneft in 2013, excluding the retired assets of the enterprises of the Ural Block

Sources: data were used for the assessment: RNS news agencies, as well as official websites of companies: Rosneft, Lukoil and others.

Since 2011, more than half of all oil in the country has been produced by three:

1. company "LUKOIL";
2. OAO Surgutneftegaz.

Taking into account the contribution of the Gazprom Neft and Tatneft groups of companies, their share is increasing and, according to operational data in 2016, reaches 82.2%.

Sources: Official websites of companies, for 2016 - RNS news agency

Sources: Data for Russia - Rosstat, for companies - Information agency RNS

RBC quotes experts from Fitch Ratings:

“2016 may be the last year of growth in oil production in Russia... New projects will be slowed down due to a sharp drop in oil prices, and production at developed fields in Western Siberia will continue to fall by 3-4%.

Results and conclusions

The influence of this resource on the development of the Russian economy will remain decisive for many years to come.

The country remains the undisputed world leader in the production and export of "black gold".

The West Siberian region and its oil companies are a real source for replenishing the state budget of the Russian Federation.

Want to know more? Look:

2017: 546 million tons (-0.2%). List of largest mining companies

2015: New production record

The absolute maximum production in the USSR was shown in 1988 at the level of 11.07 million barrels per day. Then, in addition to the RSFSR, such republics as the Kazakh SSR, the Azerbaijan SSR, the Turkmen SSR and the Uzbek SSR also made a significant contribution to production.

In September 2015, Russia set a new oil production record for the post-Soviet period - the level of production, according to the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, amounted to 10.74 million barrels per day. This is 0.4% (30 thousand barrels per day) higher than in August 2015. The previous maximum was shown in March 2015 at the level of 10.71 million barrels per day.

In general, Russia's September oil production figures were the highest for the entire period after the collapse of the USSR.

According to Deutsche Bank experts, cited by the Wall Street Journal, by the end of 2015, Russia is also likely to set a new record for average annual production: according to forecasts, oil production in 2015 will be 10.6 million barrels per day compared to with the former post-Soviet record of 10.58 million barrels per day, which was shown in 2014.

2013: Russia is the largest oil producer in the world

In 2013 Russia was largest manufacturer oil in the world, ahead of Saudi Arabia, the closest competitor, by a million barrels per day.

In 2013, Russia set a new annual record for oil production, surpassing all the industry's best performance since the early 1990s. This was stated by the Minister of Fuel and Energy of Russia Alexander Novak. According to the minister, the volume of production amounted to 523.2 million tons, which is 4.5 million more than in 2012.

Novak noted that according to the forecast of the socio-economic development of the country, he assumed the volume of oil production at the level of 505-510 million tons. He added that last year's growth was due, among other things, to amendments to Russian tax legislation that stimulate the extraction of hard-to-recover reserves.

One of the components of this growth was the work of Rosneft at the Vankor field in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where the company was able to significantly increase production. In addition, Gazprom began to produce more oil raw materials.

Transportation: The Role of Transneft

Oil export

2017: 252 million tons (-0.9%)

Pipelines

Another important export channel is pipelines. They were built for the most part during the Soviet era and now reach the borders of many CIS countries. For half a century now, the Druzhba oil pipeline, which was conceived to transport oil to the countries of the social bloc and now delivers fuel to Germany and Poland. In total, Druzhba helps to send more than 60 million tons of oil to Europe annually.

A new pipeline destination for Transneft in recent years has been China, which receives oil from a branch of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean pipeline from Skovorodino in the Amur Region. According to the state-owned company itself, the volume of deliveries to China via the pipeline in 2011 was almost the same as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary combined (more than 15 million tons) buy via Druzhba.

Railway

Oil traders

Russian oil is delivered every year to dozens of countries around the world - from the states of Western Europe to Japan and. True, in most cases, delivery to end consumers is not the concern of the companies themselves. The fact is that when it comes to exporting oil to foreign countries, they prefer to work with traders who buy fuel from them and sell it on the market themselves. This reduces the profitability of the business, but insures the Russians against emergency situations. For example, if an oil refinery that used Russian oil closes somewhere in Europe, then this becomes a headache for the trader, not the manufacturer.

Litasco (Lukoil)

The choice between a trader and direct deliveries is relevant for companies that do not have their own traders. So, Rosneft created its trader, registered in Switzerland, only in 2011, but Lukoil has been working through its wholly-owned subsidiary Litasco for more than ten years (January 2013). At the same time, Litasco's trade volumes are not limited to Lukoil's oil and oil products: according to the company's official data, in 2011 it purchased "on the side" 20 million tons of oil and 37 million tons of oil products.

Sunimex (Sergey Kishilov)

It is even more difficult to obtain information about traders independent of mining companies. Even companies traded on the stock exchange should not officially publish the structure of export deliveries. In turn, the traders themselves are also in no hurry to make any reporting available. For example, trader Sunimex has a leading position in the supply of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline to Germany, but the details of his business remain in the shadows. The only thing that can be said for sure about Sunimex is that it is run by businessman Sergei Kishilov.

Gunvor (Gennady Timchenko)

Until recently, even the largest trader of Russian oil entering the ports - the company Gunvor (Gunvor) - reports on the results of its activities only when it needs it and only in those volumes that it considers sufficient. It is known that Gunvor's sales in 2010 amounted to 104 million tons of oil equivalent, but it is not clear what Russia's share in them is.

The data for 2010 poorly reflect the current state of affairs also because the situation on the market has changed a lot. If earlier the main export volumes of oil from Rosneft, Surgutneftegaz, TNK-BP were sold by Gennady Timchenko's company, then in 2012 it unexpectedly lost several tenders in Russia. In September 2012, Reuters reported that Gunvor's trading volumes for the Russian brand of Urals oil fell several times, as its competitors Shell, Vitol and Glencore won the tenders of Rosneft, Surgutneftegaz and TNK-BP.

In Gunvor, however, they explained that they did not leave with Russian market, but simply change the concept of business: if earlier the company was interested in long-term contracts, now a trader buys Russian oil on the open market, where sometimes the cost of raw materials is even lower than under long-term contracts. Rosneft, on the other hand, finds it profitable to conclude agreements for several years in advance and receive an advance payment on them. These funds can be used to pay for the shares of TNK-BP and, thus, not to take an expensive loan.

Glencore

Just before the New Year 2013, another blow was dealt to Gunvor: Glencore and Vitol agreed on a long-term contract with Rosneft for 67 million tons of oil. It's raw Russian company undertakes to deliver to traders within five years. In other words, Glencore and Vitol have contracted a fifth of Rosneft's yearly exports through Transneft.

Already in 2013, it became clear that the shares between Glencore and Vitol would be unevenly distributed. According to the same Reuters agency, Glencore will receive up to 70 percent of the total oil, making it one of the largest or even the largest trader of Russian oil.

Will there be new traders

The chances that some new trader will start trading in Russian oil in the near future are small: companies working through their own subsidiaries will try to develop them first of all, while the rest have been cooperating with current market participants for many years and completely trust them. At the same time, there may be changes in the conditional rating of the largest traders, especially considering that competition will continue to grow, if only due to a reduction in the amount of oil exported.

Direct contracts

Until 2013, Rosneft was engaged in the supply of oil via the Druzhba pipeline to Germany to a joint venture between BP and Rosneft, but from 2013 the value of this company should increase. So, in February 2013, it became known that Rosneft signed a direct contract for the supply to Poland of about six million tons annually. Similar agreements have been signed with Total and Shell, and another one is expected to be signed with Eni in the near future. True, the volumes of purchases of Total, Shell and Eni are not indicated in official reports.

Not only market leaders, but also everyone else is gradually switching to direct contracts. So, the consulting company Argus in January 2013 reported that Tatneft had agreed with the Polish Grupa Lotos on direct deliveries to the Gdansk refinery. True, this information has not been officially confirmed.

Export duty and dependence of the economy on oil

The export duty on oil in 2012 was kept at the level of about $400 per ton of oil. This means that due to exports, the state budget received approximately $84 billion (2.5 trillion rubles) for oil duties to non-CIS countries alone. For comparison, total income federal budget(including other export duties and taxes) in 2012 amounted to 12.858 trillion rubles.

At the same time, the Russian economy is much less dependent on oil exports than most countries - largest exporters oil in the world.