Business news
Oil extraction in Belarus hits record high in 2018
GOMEL, 4 January (BelTA) – As much as 1.670 million tonnes of oil was extracted in Belarus in 2018. It is the highest figure on record in the last seven years, the press service of the Belarusian industrial group Belorusneft told BelTA.
As much as 94,400 tonnes of oil was extracted from new wells. It is the best result in the last 23 years. The largest drilling program was completed last year. The largest number of hydrofracturing operations was carried out. The list can go on and on, said the source.
As many as 40 new wells were commissioned – the top result of the last 30 years. The production of improved-quality oil (light oil) reached 311,000 tonnes – the best result since 2008.
As far as geological exploration is concerned, the volume of 3D seismic exploration work in the field reached 328km2 – a record high figure since 1996 when 3D seismic exploration came into use in Belarus.
Prospecting and exploratory drilling penetrated 26,200m of subsurface rock. Apart from that, for the first time in the last 20 years the annual oil extraction was equal to the increase in oil reserves.
The Svetlogorsk drilling department penetrated 137,400m of subsurface rock in 2018. As a result, the Belorusneft branch drilled 49 wells, setting a new record since 1975. Back then Belorusneft specialists drilled 135,700m.
The company also performed the highest number of hydraulic fracturing operations on record in the last ten years – 57. A record high number of hydraulic fracturing operations was performed as part of Belorusneft’s overseas projects – 156 (85 in Russia and 71 in Ukraine).
Apart from that, in 2018 Belorusneft generated 418 million kWh of electricity, 5% more than Belorusneft enterprises consume per year. As much as 66.6 million kWh of electricity was generated using renewable energy sources. These are the best figures since 2006, the year when Belorusneft started developing its own electricity-generating capacity. By late August 2018 Belorusneft photovoltaic power plants had produced the first 100 million kWh of electricity. Over the course of five years the photovoltaic power plants have generated 118 million kWh of electricity using power of the sun.
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