Sakhalin Energy sustains production levels
Sakhalin Energy, the operator of the Sakhalin-2 project, produced 1.68 million tons of oil in 2007 in its ninth production season, according to preliminary figures, the Sakhalin Natural Resources Committee told Interfax.
Oil production in the 2006 season totaled 11.58 million barrels (almost 1.6 million tons). Sakhalin Energy was forced to close the production season early at the end of November 2007 because of weather problems at the Vityaz complex.
The production season for 2006 closed in mid-December, the committee said. Production at Vityaz in 2006 began June 14 and ended Dec. 17.
Sakhalin Energy opened its ninth oil production season at the Astokhskoye section of the Piltun-Astokhskoye field on June 8.
The Sakhalin branch of the Primorye Shipping Co. told Interfax that the Gubernator Farkhutdinov tanker made 10 trips for the Sakhalin-2 project in 2007 and shipped 1 million tons of oil.
"The last trip was made on November 19 and took 100,000 tons of oil to the Japanese ports of Sakai and Shimotsu," a shipping company spokesman said.
Sakhalin Energy plans to start producing oil all year round in 2008 after the Molikpak platform (part of the Vityaz complex) is connected to the new on-land pipeline system. This will enable the transportation of oil to south Sakhalin to the terminal currently under construction for oil shipments to Aniva Bay, where the sea does not freeze for virtually the entire year.
Turkmenistan increases gas price for Gazprom
Turkmenistan and Gazprom have signed a supplement to their agreement on natural gas shipments increasing the price the Russian gas giant pays per 1,000 cubic meters from $100 to $130 in the first half of 2008, with the price rising to $150 in the second half of the year.
The deal was signed during Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller's visit to the Turkmen capital Ashgabat on Nov. 27 at meetings with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Oil and Gas Tacberdi Tagyyew.
The deal also stipulates that the 2009 price will be defined based on market formulae, with Ukraine, and possibly Western Europe, likely to see prices rise as a direct result.
The new agreement takes into account the new conditions on the gas market, substantial rises in the prices charged for natural gas worldwide and for materials and services used by the Turkmen gas industry, Gazprom said in a news release.
"Our Turkmen colleagues informed us of international contracts signed in recent months in which representatives of the European Commission and the U.S. administration put forth the thesis that the price for Turkmen gas under the existing export contracts was very low amid current prices for natural gas in Europe and could be higher. It is no surprise that our Turkmen partners raised the need to raise prices at recent talks," Miller said.
The revised agreement also allows for greater volumes of gas to be shipped.
"Turkmenistan has said it is willing to sell more gas to Gazprom," Miller said.
Gazprom invites ONGC to develop its refining
Officials from Gazprom and ONGC held talks in Moscow to discuss possible cooperation in the refining sector.
Gazprom Deputy Chairman Alexander Ananenkov met with India's Deputy Oil and Natural Gas Minister Milagiripatt Srinivasan, Gazprom said in a news release.
The two sides agreed to increase cooperation to develop gas processing and gas chemical plants in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, according to the release.
ONGC Group Chairman Ramesh Sharma and ONGC Videsh Managing Director Ranbir Butola also attended the meeting, according to the release.
The meeting focused on Russian-Indian cooperation in the oil and gas sector and trends on the global energy market as they discussed cooperation in the exploration and development of oil and gas fields, development of gas transport and refining infrastructure in India, Russia, and other countries. They also examined a production sharing agreement for Block 26 in the Bay of Bengal.
--
Closing oil prices, Nov. 29, 3 p.m. London
Brent crude oil: $91.08
West Texas Intermediate crude oil: $91.96
--
(e-mail: [email protected])
