Take every last drop 

Referring to global practice, the head of Belorusneft noted that, as traditional active reserves are depleted, the interests of all oil- and gas-bearing territories are increasingly focused on the study and development of hydrocarbon resources that were previously considered economically unviable.

The most important task of the geological scientific community is to determine the optimal methods for searching for and evaluating reserves in various geographical and geological conditions, applying international innovative experience or developing its own approaches. «However, one way or another, all modern methods of assessing hard-to-recover oil reserves involve a comprehensive approach that takes into account geological, technological, and economic aspects,» noted Aleksandr Lyakhov.

Oil production in Belarus has been recorded since 1964. Over the past four years, the share of heavy oil production has reached 15% of the total volume. Last year, the company produced 1 million 938 thousand tons of oil, a record for the last 29 years. Belarusian oil workers extracted more than 203,000 tons of raw materials from wells drilled in 2024, an unprecedented high. Last year, 285 kilometers of new wells were drilled, which is also an absolute record in the history of oil production. This was achieved despite the fact that 50% of the hydrocarbons produced are classified as «heavy.»

Incidentally, by 2030, production is expected to grow to 2.3 million tons, an increase of 15% over the five-year period. «In the cycle of developing hard-to-recover reserves, an important role is played by hydraulic fracturing, which is one of the methods of intensifying the operation of oil and gas wells,» Belorusneft noted. «The recent record of 101 stages per month set by oil producers only confirms their mastery of world-class technology.»

Sophisticated technology with profit 

«Heavy» oil is buried in hard rocks (it can be limestone or Dolomites), which are low-permeable. Such fuel is as if in a plugged, low-mobility state. To get the return of such oil reservoirs, it is necessary to carry out horizontal drilling (2 thousand meters or more in length), where the reservoir is fractured. This causes the formation of many cracks, through which the oil and gets into our «hands». In order for oil to flow in a real «stream», chemical reagents and special sand are added to the cracks. By the way, the latter is extracted and processed in Brest region.

No matter how difficult it is to produce such oil, the process itself is quite effective and self-sufficient, which is achieved through conveyor technologies, when many wells with a long length of penetration are made. If you do it all quickly and with high quality, the turnkey well construction time is reduced. «If in previous years such horizontal wells were made in 120 days or more, now we have learned to build such objects literally in 30 days,» explained Aleksandr Lyakhov. «Thanks to this, the economic and financial success of our activities is achieved.

Our country’s experience in extracting hard-to-recover reserves is attracting the attention of oilmen from Russia, China and other countries with much larger hydrocarbon deposits. «Belorusneft’s service unit is ready to work not only in Belarus, but also in other regions of the world. On the example of Rechitsa field we can demonstrate the best practices in construction of wells for heavy oil production,» the General Director pointed out. «These are unique technologies for the whole post-Soviet space and beyond.»

Another significant nuance in the work of Belarusian oilmen is the availability of the necessary equipment, as the application of advanced technologies requires the appropriate level of equipment. The head of Belorusneft assured that over the past few years, Western samples of equipment have been successfully replaced by analogs of domestic, Chinese and Russian production. Now we can confidently say that Belarus has become independent of Western imports in technologies and equipment for hydrocarbon production.

In addition, the oil production industry is in an active phase of digitalization. A number of major specialized projects have been implemented, including, for example, the Digital Field, where artificial intelligence capabilities have been introduced to manage hydrocarbon production and transportation processes. The same can be said about geological exploration and construction of oil wells.

Energy stability for decades to come

Historically, geological exploration works in the Pripyat Depression of our country were focused on the search for large conventional oil deposits. Today, however, according to Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Sergei Maslyak, it is necessary to move to a deeper understanding of the geological structure of the region, it is necessary to identify new promising sites and assess the potential of «heavy» reserves, which can become the basis for further development of the oil and gas industry.

«Conventional fields are gradually being depleted, and the world economy is still dependent on hydrocarbons. This forces us to look for answers to the challenges of developing such reserves. But this is where the huge potential lies, capable of ensuring energy stability for decades to come,» says the head of the environmental agency. «We should not forget the environmental aspects, because it is important not only to extract, but also to do it ecologically, minimizing the impact on nature and climate.»

In order to solve such problems, the efforts of all those interested within the country are needed, as well as cooperation with specialists in the international arena. Sergei Maslyak emphasized that domestic specialists have something to present to their colleagues abroad in terms of the use of modern technologies — from digital reservoir modeling to innovative methods of enhanced oil recovery.

«I am sure that the participation of Russian and Chinese colleagues and presentation of their achievements will only contribute to the development of joint projects in the study of the important topic of oil reserves, which are difficult to extract. In the end, by joint efforts we will be able to turn „heavy“ reserves into a strategic resource of the future,» emphasized the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

To the point 

More than 160 state and private companies and relevant government agencies from Belarus, Russia, and China are participating in the conference. The program covers key and relevant areas of the oil and gas industry in terms of hard-to-recover oil. How Belorusneft uses best practices to increase «black gold» production in old oil fields, where this process would seem to be in decline, is also presented at the conference.

The forum has become a platform for exchanging experience, demonstrating advanced developments, and searching for solutions in working with hard-to-recover oil reserves. Successful operations in the most complex subsoil of the Pripyat Depression and participation in foreign projects all testify to the professionalism of Belarusian oil workers.

Sergei Kurkach