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In Russia, World’s First Ice-Resistant Oil Platform Starts Production
In Russia, World’s First Ice-Resistant Oil Platform Starts Production
By Ari Phillips
With Russian President Vladimir Putin on hand, the Russian Arctic offshore oil platform Prirazlomnaya, the first offshore oil rig to begin commercial drilling operations above the Arctic circle, sent off its first shipment of oil on April 18.
“The start of loading the oil produced at Prirazlomnaya means that the entire project will exert a most encouraging influence on Russia’s presence on the energy markets and will stimulate the Russian economy in general and its energy sector in particular,” Putin said. “this is, in fact, the beginning of our country’s enormous work on oil production in the Arctic.”
Gazprom is a giant Russian energy company responsible for about 10 percent of the country’s GDP. Russia has already invested over $4 billion in developing this Arctic oil field, discovered in 1989. The new Arctic crude oil blend, called ARCO, is lower quality than the main Russian export from the Urals and will cost less. Gazprom said the first shipment will head to a large European energy company.
Last fall 30 Greenpeace activists tried to stop production preparations at the platform before being arrested and charged with piracy. The charges were later reduced to hooliganism and the activists were eventually released with all charges dropped.
- more -
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/21/3429130/russia-arctic-offshore-oil-platform/
By Ari Phillips
With Russian President Vladimir Putin on hand, the Russian Arctic offshore oil platform Prirazlomnaya, the first offshore oil rig to begin commercial drilling operations above the Arctic circle, sent off its first shipment of oil on April 18.
“The start of loading the oil produced at Prirazlomnaya means that the entire project will exert a most encouraging influence on Russia’s presence on the energy markets and will stimulate the Russian economy in general and its energy sector in particular,” Putin said. “this is, in fact, the beginning of our country’s enormous work on oil production in the Arctic.”
Gazprom is a giant Russian energy company responsible for about 10 percent of the country’s GDP. Russia has already invested over $4 billion in developing this Arctic oil field, discovered in 1989. The new Arctic crude oil blend, called ARCO, is lower quality than the main Russian export from the Urals and will cost less. Gazprom said the first shipment will head to a large European energy company.
Last fall 30 Greenpeace activists tried to stop production preparations at the platform before being arrested and charged with piracy. The charges were later reduced to hooliganism and the activists were eventually released with all charges dropped.
- more -
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/21/3429130/russia-arctic-offshore-oil-platform/