140m tonnes of oil extracted in Belarus by now

The jubilee figure was achieved at Rechitsa field: here, the mine has been in operation for over fifty years 

Equipment and people work 24/7 here, while about 70 oil and gas condensate fields are being developed in Belarus at the moment. All of them are located within the Pripyat trough and almost half of hydrocarbon reserves are concentrated at the largest deposits: Rechitsky, Ostashkovichsky, Vishansky, Yuzhno-Ostashkovichsky and Yuzhno-Sosnovsky.

Experts assert: all large deposits have already been discovered. Exploration of small deposits continues; these contain around 100-500,000 tonnes of recoverable reserves. On the initial stage, extensive geological exploration works are conducted to determine the location of a deposit, its geometry and volume. Exploratory drilling then follows; it enables specialists to explore as many structures as possible. Importantly, modern technologies are used to ensure a sufficiently high level of extraction.

As Sergei Lasitsa – who heads the Rechitsaneft Oil and Gas Production Department – notes, production volumes have been annually increasing. 2021 is no exception. “Thanks to implementation of the programme of geotechnical jobs, we’ve enhanced the efficiency of well drilling and field development. By the end of the year, 1,730,000 tonnes are supposed to be extracted. Our industry is all time progressing and we are now approaching introduction of a new method — the so-called digital deposit. It envisages integration of all information management systems of the enterprise. Actually, it’s an artificial intelligence technology which will enable us to automatically analyse the work and monitor the condition of each well around the clock in real time,” he explains.

In honour of the significant event, oil workers have unveiled a memorial sign in the Rechitsa District. Interestingly, Belorusneft celebrated its 55th anniversary in February.