Exxon sets drilling record and looks to Black Sea expansion
ExxonMobil's Sakhalin-1 project has set another drilling depth record in the Russian Far East.
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Sakhalin-1 drilling project Image: Exxon Neftegas |
Operated by Exxon subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas, the well has set the sixth record for the oil and gas project using its parent company's Fast Drill Process to complete the 7.67 mile (12,345 metres) bore in just 60 days. It also broke the horizontal drilling record with a reach of 7.13 miles (11,475 metres).
The onshore project, which started drilling in 2003, broke the new record in its Odoptu field, using an extended-reach drilling ERD) process to reach the field from the Sakhalin Island, some 8-11 kilometres away. By drilling from land, the process provides a safer platform, particulary in the hostile sub-arctic environment.
Since the project launch, Sakhalin-1 has produced some 300m barrels of oil for export and 235bn cubic feet (6.8bn cubic metres) of natural gas for domestic use.
Meanwhile ExxonMobil has also announced a joint partnership with Russia's Rosneft to develop oil and gas resources in the Black Sea. The project will focus on oil exploration in the Taupse Trough - a deepwater area in the Krasnodar region of the Black Sea. The partnership will also explore other infrastructure, technology and research development opportunities.
