What was the last year for you?
This year was an unexpectedly difficult in terms of business development. First of all, this is the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences: fall in natural gas prices, a 15-year minimum as I remember; multiple reduction of the service market for oil and gas exploration and production; financial market stagnation.
What, in your opinion, should be done first to restore the industry and successfully move forward in the new environment?
I will answer with a "Japanese" phrase: processes should be improved. If we talk about the market of hydrocarbons - oil and gas - there are no longer explicit anticlinal structures, no good land access for drilling, 2D seismic is certainly not enough to reveal additional geological structures, we cannot allow a long drilling process. In principle, oil and gas, year after year, "give way" to alternative energy, i.e. the price trend is definitely not to the good of oil companies. To sum up, to be effective one should do 3D seismic, drill deeper, drill fast!, drill horizontally, do fracturing and other methods of production intensification.
What do you consider the main achievement of the year? (Personal/your company’s)
Despite the crisis year, our results (Zakhidnadraservis Group of Companies) are good. First, with the production plan of 650 mcm/day at the end of the year, in November we received the flow rate at 700 mcm/day, while the annual plan was completed in August. Second, this year we completed drilling of 11 wells (2 more are in drilling process and to be completed by the end of the year and by January 4, 2021). Third, we have 4 drilling rigs all year round engaged (2 in drilling, 2 in workover). Also this year we carried out 40 coiled tubing well-operations. And the fourth, perhaps most important, this year we organized a full-fledged 3D seismic, and this, incidentally, two shifts 150 workers each. That is, in this crisis year, we not only did not cut staff, but also created a new company of 300! (three hundred) employees.
What advice would you give to your colleagues? What will help businesses better adapt to changes?
I advise everyone to move on and not stop in the face of difficulties, to improve oneself, to use new technologies, to take risks.
What are your goals for next year?
Our plans for next year are to reach 850 mcm/day of natural gas production; drill 12 wells, 3 of which are horizontal; start oil production; produce the first tons of "green" hydrogen.
