IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF OIL FIELD DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT: DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE SUBSOIL USER

Abstract

Introduction. The oil and gas industry traditionally retains a high importance in replenishing the Russian budget. The unstable situation on the global hydrocarbon market, associated with lower oil prices, forced production cuts under the international OPEC+ deal; an increase in the share of hard-to-recover reserves and an increase in the cost of oil production, raise issues of effective management of Russian companies in the oil and gas industry. The purpose of the article is to optimize the dialogue between the government and the subsoil user in improving the efficiency of managing the operational, control and liquidation fund of wells during the development of oil fields.

Materials and methods. The methodology consists of the research based on the integrated use of a systematic approach, retrospective situational and comparative analysis, as well as an expert approach. The official statistical data reflected on the Rosstat website, data from final industry and analytical reports, as well as regulatory and regulatory documents, including for Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, are used as an information base.

Results. In the context of the continuing trend of increasing the share of hard-to-recover hydrocarbon reserves, the problem of inefficient management of the well stock within the operational facilities is revealed. According to the authors, the current situation contributes to the emergence of an imbalance in the interests of subsoil users, the industry and the state. Oil companies, guided by the principles of profit maximization, carry out selective development of reserves, focusing mainly on the most profitable areas. As a result, there is a reluctance to invest in the use of innovative technologies aimed at maintaining production at low-margin facilities, which further exacerbates the situation. The authors consider weak state control and the presence of gaps in the regulatory framework to be one of the reasons for this situation.

As a solution, it is proposed to amend the Rules for the development of hydrocarbon deposits, namely, to adjust and consolidate in regulatory documents at the federal level the rules for working with well stocks during the development of oil fields. In addition, the necessety to build a constructive dialogue between subsurface users and government authorities is emphasized in order to encourage companies to use various methods to enhance oil recovery.

Discussion. The overall research result is reflected in the justification of the need to make appropriate management decisions in the «subsoil user – federal executive authorities» dialogue mode, which will regulate the work with borehole funds