Yarakta field: photo, road, description

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

On the territory of the Irkutsk region, a variety of minerals are being mined. In the platform part of the region, for example, there are deposits of coal, refractory clay, potash and rock s alts. The Lena gold-bearing region and the Mamsko-Chui mica-bearing province are located in the folded regions. This region of Russia also has rich reserves of cement limestone, facing stone, manganese, and native sulfur. And, of course, there are oil fields on the territory of the Irkutsk region. They are located mainly in the platform part. One of the largest objects of this type is the Yarakta deposit, discovered in 1971.

Geological data

This oil field is located in the upper reaches of the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River, in the area of its left tributaries Gulmok and Yarakta. Reserves of black gold began to form in this area in the Vendian and Cambrian periods. Oil is produced at the Yarakta field, the photo of which is presented in the article, from sandstones, their total thickness is 40 km. In tectonic terms, this objectis located within the southwestern immersion of the Nepa arch.

The oil reserves themselves are significant. In total, 102.5 million tons of black gold lie here. At the same time, the density of oil in this place is 0.830 g/cm3. The Yarakta field belongs to the group of oil and gas condensate fields and is part of the Baikal province. The Irkutsk Oil Company is engaged in the development of black gold at this facility.

How to get to the Yarakta field?

It's quite difficult to get to this object on your own. This deposit is located in the taiga, very far from any settlements. Previously, the only way to get to this object in the summer was by air. Recently, a dirt road was built from the city of Ust-Kut to the field. However, unfortunately, it cannot be called too convenient for movement. In any case, it is not worth driving along this road to the Yarakta field in a car. Overcoming this almost two hundred-kilometer path through the taiga, sometimes forcing rivers, is basically only possible for KAMAZ vehicles and other similar heavy vehicles.

Yarakta camp

This oil facility, as mentioned above, is located at a great distance from populated areas. The distance from Ust-Kut to the Yarakta field is 140 km in a straight line. Therefore, a shift camp was built for the workers of this facility, as well as most other similar ones. This locality is relativelysmall, but there is enough space for all employees of the facility.

Of course, specialists who decide to work at this field should not expect much comfort. However, the Irkutsk Oil Company still took care of basic amenities for its employees. In 2014, construction of two modern dormitories began on the territory of the Yarakta shift camp. As a result, the total accommodation capacity on site has increased to 550 beds.

Also, a new canteen was built in the village. Its total capacity was 100 people. In the dormitories, in addition to the rooms for living, there are also such infrastructure facilities as showers, bathrooms, assembly and sports halls. Both buildings have been landscaped. A bath complex was built next to the dormitories. Here, in addition to the steam room, shower and sink, there is also a small pool. The village also has its own church.

Development and Licensing

The Yarakta field is the main one for the Irkutsk Oil Company. This facility accounts for 80% of all hydrocarbons produced by the enterprise. The holder of the license for the development of black gold in this place is OAO Ust-Kutneftegaz, a subsidiary of INK. The license was issued to this enterprise in December 1996. The company has the right to extract oil here until 2033

Pad drilling

Currently, INK is focusing on the development of this advanced oil production method at the Yarakta field. ATUnlike the European part of Russia and Western Siberia, cluster drilling technology for Eastern Siberia is practically new. Meanwhile, it is this technique that makes it possible to extract oil at the lowest financial cost. In addition, when using this technology, the harm caused by black gold mining enterprises to the environment is reduced.

By 2017, 19 new well pads were built at the Yarakta oil and gas condensate field. Also, measures to intensify the extraction of black gold also affected a significant part of the fund of the KP that already existed here.

In total, 209 production wells are operating at the field in 2017. At the same time, exploration drilling at the site continues.

Pipelines

Earlier, the INK company transported produced oil along the line connecting the Yarakta and Markovskoye fields with the railway terminal in the city of Ust-Kut. The construction of this pipeline was completed in 2007. Even earlier, the oil produced was concentrated at the pumping station of the Markovskoye field. It was delivered to Ust-Kut by road.

In 2011, the branch connecting both objects with the city railway junction was mothballed. Currently, oil is pumped from the Yarakta field through a new pipeline connecting it with the ESPO near station No. 7. The total length of this line is 61 km. Its final point is the PSP, the first stage of which was also completed in 2011. The capacity of this delivery / acceptance point at the time of commissioning was 1.5 million tons per year.

Prospects for development

The intensive development of the infrastructure of the Yarakta settlement is, of course, primarily due to the increase in the production capacity of the field itself. At the moment, INK is implementing several large-scale projects at this important facility for the economy of the Irkutsk region and the whole country. For example, a modern unit is being built at the field, designed to treat sour crude oil OPSNG. Also at the facility, work is underway to modernize the UPM and the booster pumping station. In addition, a large-scale gas project of the company is being implemented.

INC: production activity

In total, INC is exploring and developing 25 fields in both the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Sakha. Its licensed areas in the Irkutsk region, in addition to the Yarakta field, are:

• North-Mogdinsky;
• Upper Nepe;
• Bolshetir;
• Yalyk;
• Chinese;
• Ayan;
• North;
• Middle Nepian;
• Verkhnetirsky.

Employee reviews

Unfortunately, the opinion of its specialists about INK is ambiguous. Its advantages include, first of all, the fact that it pays its employees official salaries, and it does this practicallyalways on time. At the same time, employees of the enterprise receive quite decent money for their work.

Negative feedback about the developer of the Yarakta deposit is mainly related to living conditions. In the built modern complexes on the territory of the rotational camp, companies often settle only engineering and technical workers. At the same time, ordinary workers are often provided with places in old buildings without any infrastructure, in other words, in ordinary Soviet barracks.

Employees of the INC also have complaints about the distribution of wages. All employees of the company employed in the fields receive the same money. At the same time, at some facilities, the amount of work has to be done very large, while at others, people do almost nothing.

Another disadvantage of the company, according to many of its employees, is nepotism. Getting a good position, even with a suitable speci alty, excellent recommendations and extensive experience, without connections here, judging by the reviews, is almost impossible.