Read the fragment of the interview with Vladimir Mulyak, General Director of JSC LUKOIL-Komi

 

Oil of Russia No. 3, 2004

 

A SECOND BIRTH OF THE KOMI INDUSTRY

 

The oil industry of the Republic of Komi marks its 75th birthday this year. This is a comparatively old oil-producing region which has known its ups and downs. One of those "downs" occurred in the mid-1990s. Today, however, the Republic's oil industry is successfully overcoming the consequences of that difficult period. Actually, it is living through its "second birth".

Q: In your opinion, why do people sometimes refer to the Komi oil industry as being of a "ripe old age"?

A: Indeed, in characterizing this or that oil-producing region, people compare it with man's age periods – they talk about "young", "mature" and "old" regions. And so the 75th jubilee of the Komi oil industry does not mean that we are dealing with an "old" region. True, it is "ripe" but quite "active", and its prospects are good. Today, the Timan-Pechora oil- and gas-bearing province has the largest resource base in Northwestern Russia. And although some of the oil fields there have really been exhausted, new ones are being put into service. Moreover, its advantageous geographical location with access to the sea coast, its infrastructure and the system of pipelines constructed there, as well as its human resources make the Timan-Pechora province one of the regions most attractive to investors and promising for Russia's oil production.

Q: Have the consequences of the "disastrous' 1990s been fully overcome? If not, what hinders overcoming them?

A: Our main achievement of the past five years is that we have managed to reverse the dynamics of development. I must tell you that the operating conditions at our oil fields are much worse than in most other regions. The Republic of Komi has a complete "collection" of factors that hinder the work of oilmen. They include: a high gas-oil ratio, high saturation pressures, high-viscosity oil, a higher-than-normal paraffin content, the presence of hydrogen sulfide, and incredible equipment corrosion rates. Besides, most oil fields in the Timan-Pechora province are much smaller than, say, those in Western Siberia. We are working 48 fields, while they contain over 150 oil pools. LUKOIL-Komi came, for the most part, to old fields –Usinskoye, Vozeiskoye, Western Tebuk, etc. – which are in the third stage of development. Quite often we have to reject the old, defective system of development and replace it with another, a better one.

Q: Can the oil and gas complex of the Republic of Komi today become a production and manpower base for developing the oil and gas resources of the subarctic regions of European Russia and the shelf of the northern seas?

A: The human resources situation is as follows: when we began working here, we did not have a single young specialist. Today, there are over a hundred of them. And this is very important. We devote much attention to work with young personnel. That includes cooperation with the Usinsk Branch of Ukhta State Technical University, drawing young specialists from other higher schools, and holding various specialized conferences and contests. Every young specialist here is provided with the opportunity to do practical work in all the basic sectors for 12-18 months under a personal supervisor. Then he is free to choose what he likes. By that time this specialist has a wide perspective of what's going on around him and perfectly orients himself in the entire activity of the Company. I believe that this kind of practice may be regarded as training manpower for developing the northern fields.

 

2. Find the English equivalents in the interview:

 

Сравнительно старый нефтедобывающий регион; преодолевать последствия; нефтегазоносная провинция; истощенное нефтяное месторождение; пускать в эксплуатацию; выгодное географическое положение; иметь доступ к морскому побережью; делать привлекательным для инвесторов; мешать работе; отказаться от старой системы разработки; привлекать молодых специалистов; предоставлять возможность; под надзором руководителя; ориентироваться в работе компании; рабочая сила.

 

3. Answer the questions:

 

1. What are the advantages of the Komi oil-producing region?

2. What factors hinder the work of oilmen?

3. Is the Timan-Pechora province the largest oil-field in Russia?

4. How does JSC LUKOIL-Komi work with young specialists?