Rakushechnoye, now known as the V.I. Grayfer offshore field is located in water depths of 5m-8m, approximately 100km off the west coast of Astrakhan in the Caspian Sea, Russia. It is an oil and gas field being developed by LUKOIL, a crude petroleum and natural gas extraction company based in Russia.
The final investment decision (FID) for the Grayfer oilfield development was taken by LUKOIL in July 2018. Construction on the offshore project began in October 2018, with production targeted to begin by 2023. The field is expected to produce 1.2 million tonnes (Mt) of oil a year.
Grayfer is the third biggest upstream oil and gas project being undertaken by LUKOIL in Russia, apart from the Yury Korchagin and Vladimir Filanovsky field development projects.
LUKOIL expects to recover 9.5Mt of oil and nine billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year from its upstream oil and gas development projects located in the Caspian Sea.
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Grayfer oil and gas field reserves
Discovered in 2001, the Rakushechnoye offshore field is estimated to hold recoverable reserves of up to 39Mt of oil and 33bcm of gas.
An exploration well to a total depth of 1,650m was drilled by LUKOIL at the field in 2015. The exploration activities on the field were completed during that year.
Grayfer offshore field development details
The Rakushechnoye development will benefit from the existing infrastructure, export facilities, and power facilities associated with other upstream development projects operated by LUKOIL in the Caspian Sea.
The field will be developed using an ice-resistant fixed offshore platform along with a living quarter platform, which will be inter-connected by means of a gallery bridge.
The project will also utilize the assembly site of LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft, a wholly-owned subsidiary of LUKOIL, for construction. The assembly site is located in the Astrakhan region of Russia.
Oil and gas produced from the field will be sent for treatment to the central processing platform (CPP) of the second fixed offshore ice-resistant platform of the Vladmir Filanovsky field, which is located at a distance of 8.5km.
The field will be connected to the Vladmir Filanovsky field through new subsea interfield pipelines and cable lines.
Details of the Vladmir Filanovsky field central processing platform
The central processing platform (CPP) of the Vladmir Filanovsky field is interconnected to the riser unit, living quarter platform, and fixed ice-resistant platform. It weighs up to 21,000t and has a capacity to process approximately 6Mt of oil a year along with 731 million cubic meters of gas.
The CPP is 74.30m-long and has a width and depth of 46.7m and 38.5m, respectively.
Oil and gas export
The oil and gas produced from the Rakushechnoye offshore field will be transported onshore by the pipeline owned by Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), in which LUKOIL holds 12.5% of share.
The CPC pipeline transports hydrocarbons produced from various oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea. LUKOIL has been exporting the oil and gas produced from its development projects located in the Russian waters through the CPC pipeline since 2016.
Contractors involved with the Grayfer field development
CDB Corall was contracted to design the ice-resistant platform, living quarters, subsea pipelines, and power cables for the Rakushechnoye offshore oil and gas field.