Russian gas producer Gazprom revealed that the onshore Kovyktinskoye field in the Irkutsk Region in eastern Russia is on track to enter into commercial production in late 2022.
Image: The Kovyktinskoye field in the Irkutsk Region in eastern Russia. Photo: courtesy of Gazprom.
Currently, the Kovyktinskoye field is in pilot production and work is going on as per schedule to prepare it for commercial production, said Gazprom.
The Russian gas giant said that as of now geological exploration is going on and industrial sites for drilling rigs are being established in addition to the required road infrastructure.
Gazprom is looking to construct seven production wells at the Kovyktinskoye field before the end of 2019.
The natural gas produced from the Russian onshore field will be transported through the Power of Siberia gas pipeline to the Amur Gas Processing Plant near the city of Svobodny, Amur Region.
According to Gazprom, the Kovyktinskoye gas and condensate field contains the largest gas reserves in eastern Russia. The company expects the field to provide the foundation for the Irkutsk gas production center and, along with the Chayandinskoye field located in Yakutia, serve as a resource base for the Power of Siberia gas pipeline.
Gazprom said that it is mulling the prospect of constructing a small-scale LNG production facility at the Kovyktinskoye field. The LNG production plant is expected to enable the Russian gas producer to replace diesel fuel with natural gas for drilling operations.
Overall, the onshore Russian field is estimated to contain 2.7 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves and 90.6 million tons of recoverable gas condensate. Gazprom is targeting to draw 25 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the field.
Kovyktinskoye, which was discovered in 1987, is located within the Zhigalovsky and Kazachinsko-Lensky districts. The field is spread across the company’s licensed blocks – Kovyktinsky, Khandinsky, and Chikansky.
The gas contained in the field is said to be characterized by a complex composition, containing methane, propane, butane, and significant amounts of helium. The valuable components are planned to be extracted from the produced gas at the Amur Gas Processing Plant, which will have a processing capacity of 42 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year.