Ukraine is #2 in Europe in terms of reserve and resource potential of naturel gas. However, in recent decades, there has been a significant decline exploratory drilling and geological explorations. The state stopped preparing the resource base as a basis for production increase. The annual growth of reserves in Ukraine is twice lower than the production volumes. In fact, it means that it is impossible to increase production.
Significant and poorly developed potential is associated with difficult reserves of existing deposits. These are development of deep horizons, tight sand gas, and development of nonstructural formations. While Ukrainian gas producers are currently making significant progress in the first two areas, nonstructural formations remain considerably underestimated.
Due to technology development (3D seismic explorations, complexation of geophysical methods, sedimentological surveys), the world changed the paradigm of discovery of new large deposits. Since in 2000s, nonstructural traps in new discovered deposits amount to about 50% of the total number of discoveries. Therefore, taking into account the youngest tendencies in the discovery of deposits in Ukraine, they have to pay much more attention to nonstructural traps for the discovery of large hydrocarbon deposits and the possibility of increasing production in the country.
DTEK Oil&Gas performed a detailed work on the search of nonstructural formations at the multi-layered Semyrenkivske field. A comprehensive approach to the analysis of geological and geophysical surveys, cores and seismic data, including elastic and stochastic inversion, was used as a basis for predicting the extension of sandstones which form nonstructural traps. As a result, a number of promising isolated objects were identified.
One the first results of DTEK Oil&Gas’ works with nonstructural traps can be considered the drilling of the well No. 79 of Semyrenkivske field, which was drilled into an isolated deposit of B-17 horizon. The initial daily flow rate from the target interval in this well was 0,5 million m3 of gas and over 200 tons of gas condensate. Similar nonstructural objects were also discovered in two other wells of Semyrenkivske field and East-Semyrenkivsky object, from which initial flows of 100 thousand m3 of gas and 100 tons of condensate, and 400 thousand m3 of gas and 40 tons of condensate.
By 2023, DTEK Oil&Gas plans to expand its exploratory drilling program to nonstructural formations, which will include 8 wells. Expected increase in the field reserves after additional exploration is estimated up to 5 billion m3 of gas and production increase is expected up to 2,5 million m3 per day.
«In order to increase the efficiency of geological survey, especially of nonstructural formations, a comprehensive approach, competent use of geological and geophysical methods as well as introduction of the latest technologies are required. DTEK Oil&Gas has made a great contribution into this area. Today, we work with a number of Western leading companies in the field of geological explorations and implement innovative technologies and methods of integration of geological and geophysical data», Ivan Gafych said.
