ECONOMIC, ORGANIZATIONAL AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS OF OIL AND GAS FIELD ABANDONMENT

Abstract

More and more mature fields in the old oil-producing regions are now in the stages of declining production, and their operation is close to completion, therefore, the upcoming liquidation work is of particular relevance and importance. Decommissioning of developed or inactive oil and gas wells is associated with a number of environmental, economic and legal problems. Liquidation of oil and gas facilities can become a significant expense for companies, especially if the budget deficit does not fully pay off during operation. At the same time, the negative impact of field development on the environment is not limited to the period of active production. With the onset of liquidation work, subsoil users may have obligations to government agencies in the form of taxes, licenses and other payments, which also increases their financial burden. Interaction between the state and subsoil users in the process of development and decommissioning of oil and gas fields becomes an important factor in the rational use of natural resources. Often, control over the liquidation of abandoned or decommissioned fields is entrusted to the state, although companies also have obligations to report on planned and implemented related activities. Since liquidation measures are a rather labor-intensive process that requires careful planning and financial resources, subsoil users sometimes evade responsibility, citing the lack of the necessary amount of financial resources to carry out these works. The article provides an overview of international experience in approaches to financing liquidation work. Mechanisms of legal regulation of relations between state management bodies and subsoil users, organizational, technical and economic problems of liquidation of oil and gas fields, as well as a number of approaches to effective financial support for the decommissioning of oil and gas facilities are considered. In conclusion, based on the presented analysis of the problems of the industry and international experience in organizing liquidation measures, the authors give several of their proposals, the implementation of which can be considered necessary preparatory work for effectively solving the problems of eliminating the consequences of the operation of hydrocarbon deposits with the onset of the desired economic stability.