Proven Reserves Research Articles

Conflicts Of Interest over the Libyan Crisis and Its Impact on the National Security of Armenia

The Arab Spring, a chain of anti-government protests and uprisings, had major implications throughout the Middle East region and it particularly affected oil-rich countries, including Libya. Libya is the largest holder of proven oil reserves in Africa (48 billion barrels). Before 2011, Libya’s oil production averaged about 1.64 million barrels per day, about 96% of the government’s revenue, which accounted for 60-65% of the country’s GDP. During the reign of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s oil industry was run by the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC), which was responsible for implementing Exploration and Production Sharing Agreements (EPSA) with international oil companies (IOCs). Among these international oil companies were ENI (Italy), Total (France), Repsol (Spain), OMV (Austria) and Equinor (Norway). Colonel Muammar Qaddafi was not considered to be a reliable partner for the above-mentioned international oil companies. He used to demand tough contract terms, frequently raised fees and taxes and made other restrictions. This policy was in stark contrast with the interests of foreign actors, especially a number of Mediterranean European states, which led to their active participation in Libyan politics with the desire to gain a greater share of oil production and increase their influence in Africa. The main struggle over Libya is for control over oil resources which are highly necessary for a number of external actors in order to ensure the dynamic development of their economies and strengthen their geopolitical position but which are also needed by regional actors to ensure their own security. From the point of view of global governance, each actor in this conflict is trying to implement its global agenda by having political control and a military presence in Libya. The main aim of this study is to analyze the conflict of interests between local, regional and international actors over the Libyan issue, which, undoubtedly, affects the policy of these forces towards our region, and to understand how these developments in a country “far from” Armenia can influence the Republic of Armenia’s national security and foreign policies.

A “One Engine with Six Gears” System Engineering Methodology for the Economic Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas in China

Unconventional oil and gas resources have become the most important and realistic field for increasing China’s domestic oil and gas reserves and production. At present, the production scale does not match the massive amount of resources and the rapid growth of proven geological reserves. The challenges of technology, cost, management, and methodology restrict large-scale and economic development. Based on successful practices, a “one engine with six gears” system engineering methodology is put forward, which includes life-cycle management, overall synergy, interdisciplinary cross-service integration, market-oriented operation, socialized support, digitalized management, and low-carbon green development. The methodology has been proved to be effective in multiple unconventional oil and gas national demonstration areas, including the Jimusar continental shale oil demonstration area. Disruptive views are introduced—namely, that unconventional oil and gas do not necessarily yield a low return, nor do they necessarily have a low recovery factor. A determination to achieve economic benefit must be a pervasive underlying goal for managers and experts. Return and recovery factors, as primary focuses, must be adhered to during China’s development of unconventional oil and gas. The required methodology transformation includes a revolution in management systems to significantly decrease cost and increase production, resulting in technological innovation.

PROSPECTS OF OIL AND GAS POTENTIAL OF THE JUNCTION ZONE OF THE NORTH-EAST OF THE PRECASPIAN BASIN AND THE SOUTHERN SEGMENT OF THE URAL FOLD SYSTEM (AKTOBE URALIAN FOREDEEP)

The identification of promising areas of exploration to develop the resource base of the Aktobe region is an urgent issue due to the gradual depletion of proven hydrocarbon reserves. The subsalt complex of the Aktobe Uralian Foreland is a prospective object, where prospecting and exploration work was carried out unevenly in the 1950s and 1980s, and most of the seismic survey data of 2004-2008 are low-informative. The subsalt complex of the studied area has been poorly studied by high resolution seismic studies and deep exploration drilling and previously belonged to the territories with low hydrocarbon potential. On the basis of the conducted research, data on the structural and tectonic zoning of the junction zone of the Precaspian basin and the southern segment of the Urals Foredeep are summarized, the geological structure of the Aktobe Uralian Foreland area is substantiated, favorable geochemical criteria of oil and gas potential are revealed.

An Examination of the Nigerian Gas Law and Policy: Facilitating Domestic Gas

The Federal Government of Nigeria based on its sizable gas reserves, identified the need for accelerated development of the gas industry as a focal strategy for achieving the national aspiration of aggressive GDP growth. Endowed with energy resources, Nigeria has about 188tcf of proven reserves. Active power plants are mainly gas-fired, but they face feedstock shortages, as a result of a dearth of infrastructure investment. Nigeria’s gas industry is still in its infant stage unlike the UK and US. Oil and gas companies have historically flared natural gas into the environment mainly because it was considered an oil by-product and not an economic product. The development of a domestic market today is the top of the government's agenda. The Federal Government recently approved the Nigerian National Gas Policy 2017. The goal as highlighted in the policy is the commercialization of gas to boost the economy, electricity undoubtedly being central to economic growth. This paper discusses, gas pricing, unbundling and open access and the Domestic Gas Obligation. The purpose of this study is to highlight various areas of improvement and provide an analysis of existing laws and policy. Results suggest that market liberalization and increase in private sector involvement are the two strengths agreed upon. In addition, the participants concur on the importance of increasing share of LNG in the total natural gas supply.

Prospects for searching for hydrocarbon deposits in the Paleozoic complex of the South Torgai basin

Intensive development of discovered oil and gas fields since the early 90s.of the last century, mainly associated with structural traps in Jurassic-Cretaceous complex, to date has led to a reduction in proven hydrocarbon reserves in the South Torgai sedimentary basin. The prospective potential for an increase in the resource base of the studied region can be focused within the deposits of pre-Mesozoic complex.
 Historically it was believed that the South Torgai sedimentary basin has a two-deck structure: a sedimentary cover of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic age and an underlying crystalline-folded basement of the Paleozoic-Proterozoic complex. The oil and gas potential of the Paleozoic complex in the region has been proven by obtaining direct signs of oil and gas in the core, oil and gas shows, up to industrial oil flows on a limited number of areas within the weathering crust zones.
 Analytical studies of recent years indicate a significant heterogeneity of the Paleozoic-Proterozoic complex, where promising structures of the Upper Paleozoic quasi-platform complex, represented by carbonate rocks, may be present. This article is focused on the analysis of a new and previously unexplored potential oil and gas complex of deeper-lying Paleozoic sediments that are of interest for setting up geological exploration.
 Due to the confidentiality policy, the names of wells, fields, coordinates and other detailed information are hidden. The article was formed to demonstrate the concept of the prospects of the heterogeneous Paleozoic-Proterozoic complex.

Organic geochemistry and oil-source rock correlation of the Cretaceous succession in West Wadi El-Rayan (WWER) concession: Implications for a new Cretaceous petroleum system in the north Western Desert, Egypt

Mesozoic rift basins of the north Western Desert host the majority of proven oil reserves in Egypt. These basins are bounded by poorly-explored structural highs (Kattaniya high, Qattara ridge) with unknown petroleum system. The recently-discovered oil in West Wadi El-Rayan (WWER) concession in the southern part of the Kattaniya high highlighted a need for understanding the petroleum potential of these transit regions. The present study integrates geochemical and basin modelling results to define potential source rocks and decipher the mechanism of oil generation, expulsion and migration. In WWER concession, oil is produced from the Upper Cretaceous (Upper Bahariya) sandstones. Rock-Eval pyrolysis results demonstrate that the Lower Cretaceous Alam El Bueib (AEB) and Upper Cretaceous Lower Bahariya shales below the reservoir contain mature source rocks (S2 up to 28.76, Tmax > 430 °C). WWER oil displays a uniform composition with high pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph > 3), saturates/aromatics (>5.5) and canonical variable values (CV > 6) pointing to a generation from a terrestrial source rock. This is consistent with high contents of C30 hopane, C29 steranes and diasteranes as well as the very low values of dibenzothiophane (DBT)/Phenantherane (<0.1) confirming oil generation from a clay-rich source rock deposited in a fluvio-deltaic environment.Oil-source correlation highlights a robust similarity in compositional biomarkers between the WWER oil and AEB rock extracts. Additionally, the maturity-relevant biomarkers such as Ts/Tm trisnorhopanes and H32 S/(R + S) homohopanes favor an oil expulsion phase during the early stage of oil window in accordance with the basin modelling results and the maturity level of AEB organic-rich facies. These findings shed the light on a new petroleum system in the north Western Desert where the AEB fluvio-deltaic shales are capable of generating early mature oil which migrates through the Cretaceous deep-seated extensional faults into the Bahariya sandstone reservoir.

Application of Time-Domain Airborne Electromagnetic Method to the Study of Qingchengzi Ore Concentration Area in China

Qingchengzi is an important polymetallic mineral concentration zone in China. However, long-term mining has led to the depletion of proven reserves in the Qingchengzi ore concentration zone. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out prospecting in the periphery of the existing ore bodies. Taking into account the complex surface conditions of the Qingchengzi mining area, we carried out an airborne time-domain electromagnetic survey in this region and obtained a high-precision underground resistivity model which covers the whole area. The quasi-3D inversion result shows a good agreement with the surface geological information. After analyzing the relationship between the underground geological structures and the resistivity model, we constructed a geological model with the distribution of the main strata, the rock masses and the faults. The reconstructed resistivity distribution of the entire region added new knowledge to understand the geology of the Qingchengzi survey area.

Organic Geochemical Signatures of the Upper Miocene (Tortonian—Messinian) Sedimentary Succession Onshore Crete Island, Greece: Implications for Hydrocarbon Prospectivity

The definition of pre-Messinian source rocks in the eastern Mediterranean is of paramount importance for hydrocarbon exploration because of the ability of salt to act as a high-quality seal rock. This research evaluates the organic geochemical features of the Upper Miocene (Tortonian—Messinian) sedimentary succession onshore Crete Island, Greece. The study employs original (Messinian, Agios Myron Fm) and published (Tortonian, Viannos Fm, Skinias Fm, Moulia Fm, and Messinian Ploutis section) results from organic geochemical analyses of mudstone samples. One hundred and one samples were examined using standard organic geochemistry methodology (Rock-Eval II and VI-TOC) to define the origin, type, and degree of organic matter maturity. The data indicate that the studied samples have poor to fair gas-prone source rock potential. These possible source rock units have not experienced great temperatures during burial, and, thus, their organic matter is thermally immature. The sub-salt (Tortonian—Messinian) source rock units are likely to be of higher thermal maturity in the western and eastern south Cretan trenches because of tectonic subsidence and a thicker sedimentary overburden. Several traps can grow in these regions, associated with normal faults, rotated blocks and unconformities (both below and above the unconformities). This research provides a basis for the further evaluation of the hydrocarbon potential in Crete Island. It is an area that shares geological similarities with the surrounding regions that contain proven reserves and is of crucial economic and strategic importance.

System development and assessment for green hydrogen generation and blending with natural gas

In this study, an integrated system is designed and studied to produce renewable (green) hydrogen and blend it with natural gas potentially available in the Black Sea for countrywide utilization, and a case study is, in this regard, considered for the city of Zonguldak in Turkey. To utilize the natural gas reserves in a more environmentally friendly and efficient manner, blending it with the addition of 20% hydrogen by volume is the prime focus of this study. For this purpose, hydrogen production capacities from renewable sources of energy, namely wind, solar and wave, are calculated and found out as 1432 kg, 174,210 kg, and 1257 kg, respectively. The effects of hydrogen content addition on the blend gas consumption and the lifetime of proven reserves are investigated. With the addition of 20% hydrogen by volume, the annual blend gas consumption increases from 46.55 billion cubic meters (Bm3) to 54.11 Bm3, while the consumption of natural gas decreases from 46.55 Bm3 to 43.29 Bm3. Thus, the life span increases from 11.6 years to 12.5 years, respectively. The CO and CO2 emissions potentially released after the combustion decrease from 0.05 g/day and 32% to 0.02 g/day and 28% when the hydrogen content in the blend increases from 5% to 20%, accordingly. Furthermore, NOx emissions increase from 4.08 g/day to 7.54 g/day in the exhaust gas when the hydrogen addition is changed from 5% to 20% in the blend.

Modelling the impact of coal seam methane on the Mongolian economy

Energy independence is one of the most important issues for almost every country and the world. Mongolia strives to have various types of energy sources and reduce energy dependence. Energy dependence always influences economic dependence of any country. Utilising its own country’s resources is optimal to reduce energy dependence. In recent years, the Mongolian Government has been encouraging unconventional oil and gas exploration and foreign investment and implementing supporting policies, such as coal bed (seam) methane. As a result of these activities, unconventional oil and gas investment and exploration have been intensified in the last few years in Mongolia, especially during pandemics. There are 32 oil and gas blocks in Mongolia and coal bed methane exploration and foreign investments have been invested in eight blocks. In 2022, some foreign investment companies are going to introduce proven reserves of coal bed methane to the Mongolian Government and Parliament. Therefore, we have to model the positive and negative impacts of coal bed methane on the Mongolian economy and find methods to increase the positive sides. Unfortunately, there is no experience in any situation for unconventional oil and gas exploration, extraction, and field development. Because of it, we have cooperated with Australian scientists and experts and completed some studies for making a model of the impact of coal seam methane on the Mongolian economy. For today’s condition, the Mongolian Government or Mongolian private companies can’t process coal bed methane activities because of lack of capital expenses and experience. To raise the positive impacts of coal bed methane, foreign investment is of course very important. There are some main purposes to model the impact of coal seam methane on the Mongolian economy.

Is there evidence of mild explosive behavior in Alaska North Slope crude oil prices?

Alaska has long been important to U.S. oil production. With the sixth largest amount of proven reserves of any state and >95% of oil production occurring on the North Slope, Alaska will continue to be an important factor in U.S. energy production. Given the importance of the North Slope crude oil to West Coast refineries, it is surprising that very few studies have investigated the prevailing price of crude oil from the North Slope: the Alaska North Slope West Coast price (ANS). This study provides evidence of mildly explosive behavior in the time series of ANS price relative to the consumer price level, Alaska oil production, and a measure of oil stocks by utilizing the recursive generalized supremum Augmented Dickey-Fuller of Phillips, Shi, and Yu (2015). The sample period spans from May 1987 until September 2020 and we find evidence of mild explosive behavior prior to and during the 2007–2009 recession. Our findings are consistent with others who found mildly explosive behavior in other oil prices during the same period.

Application of CO2 miscible flooding in ultra-low permeability beach-bar sand reservoir

The beach-bar sand reservoir of the Sha 4 Member of the Shahejie Formation in the Dongying Sag is the main oil-bearing formation in this area. In recent years, its proven reserves have been getting lower and lower, and the poor petrophysical properties of the reservoir have made water injection development difficult. In turn, it results in a rapid decline in elastic development productivity and low oil recovery. In this study, the experimental evaluation and numerical simulation research on the adaptability of CO2 flooding in beach-bar sand reservoirs are carried out on the basis of fully investigating the successful examples of CO2 flooding conducted by the previous. According to the geological characteristics of the reservoir in the CL area of the Dongying Sag, the reasonable reservoir engineering parameters and surface injection procedures for the CO2 flooding have been formulated. Experiments show that after the completion of water flooding, the recovery factor of the CO2 continuous flooding is 85.64%. It proves that the recovery factor of the CO2 flooding is higher than that of the water flooding. Field tests have shown that CO2 molecules in beach-bar sand reservoirs behave in a supercritical state underground, which is easier to being injected into the reservoir than water. In addition, the displacement distance of the CO2 is obviously larger than that of the water injection development. The gas-oil ratio variation of different flooding types is different, and CO2 flooding can effectively increase the formation energy, and improve the oil recovery and economic benefits of this type of reservoir.

A comprehensive genetic model for the world’s largest Sb deposit (Xikuangshan, China)

AbstractThe Mesozoic (160–130 Ma), fault-controlled Xikuangshan Sb deposit within Devonian limestone strata of Hunan Province, Southern China is the world’s largest Sb deposit containing a proven reserve of ~2.5 m Sb. Although mined for over a century, its genesis remains poorly understood. Here we use new He-Ar isotope data of hydrothermal stibnite and both new and existing C-O-Sr-Nd isotopes of hydrothermal calcite with known stages to decipher its genesis and the major constraints on mineralization intensity. The 3He/4He and 40Ar/36Ar ratios of fluid inclusions trapped in stibnite are from 0.01 to 0.04 Ra (Ra: atmospheric 3He/4He ratio) and 304–1077, respectively, indicating the ore-forming fluids at Xikuangshan were dominated by air-saturated meteoric groundwater after interaction with crustal rocks. Ore-stage calcite C and O isotopes indicated that most CO2 in the fluids was acquired from marine carbonate rocks by dissolution; whereas Sr and Nd isotopes differed from deposited Devonian country rocks but were similar to the underlying regional Proterozoic clastic rocks in the region. Calcite from early and late stages showed a strong positive correlation between δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr, consistent with the mixing between the circulating groundwater and compounds released from the Proterozoic rocks due to extensive fluid-rock interaction. The 3He/Q ratios of the fluid inclusions are low, varying from 4.3 to 18.5 × 10−15 cm3 standard temperature and pressure (STP) J−1, indicating deep-seated magma could have provided heat by conduction but no volatiles into the ore-forming fluids. Based on these new results, we suggest that deep-seated granitic magma heated the down-going meteoric groundwater along fault zones, after which the groundwater extensively interacted with and extracted Sb from the Proterozoic Sb-rich rocks to form Sb-rich fluids. The Sb-rich fluids then ascended through regional faults and deposited Sb as stibnites at favorable structural traps to form the Xikuangshan Sb deposit. This study highlights that extensive water-rock interaction is essential to form the deposit, and more intensive water-rock interaction at an early stage allowed for early-stage mineralization yielding higher Sb reserves (&amp;gt;80%) at Xikuangshan.

Industrial garnet as an unconventional heavy rare earth element resource: Preliminary insights from a literature survey of worldwide garnet trace element concentrations

Current global supply of the critically important Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE) may be insufficient to meet future demand unless new sources are identified. This study utilizes trace element data in the literature to evaluate the potential of garnet, a common industrial mineral, to be further developed as a HREE-enriched mineral resource. A compilation of garnet REE data (n > 1,900 individual garnet analyses) demonstrates that garnet in metapelitic host rocks can have higher concentrations of the HREE dysprosium (Dy) through lutetium (Lu) in comparison to many of the existing and prospective sources of the Rare Earth Elements (REE). Furthermore, consideration of a smaller dataset containing garnet REE in addition to uranium and thorium concentrations indicates that many of the garnets with elevated HREE content also have uranium and thorium concentrations below those of the prospective and existing sources. As a case study, data from an actively mined garnet placer in northern Idaho (Emerald Creek), indicates that its proven garnet reserve contains ∼ 12 Mt of Lu alone despite its relatively small size. In total, the data indicate that experiments focused on the economics of extracting REE from garnet are warranted.

Characteristics of Source Rocks and Genetic Origins of Natural Gas in Deep Formations, Gudian Depression, Songliao Basin, NE China

Numerous large gas fields with large proven reserves occur in the deep formations of Songliao Basin, NE China. However, some challenges remain as follows: (1) the main source rock is poorly studied and (2) the origins and genetic types of the natural gases are controversial. In this study, these problems can be addressed by the research of the paleoenvironments during shale deposition, the organic matter sources, the source rock potential, the gas origin and genetic type, and gas–source correlations. The redox conditions of the water column during the Huoshiling to Yingcheng depositions were transitional (suboxidizing to subreducing) environments, and the Huoshiling deposition corresponded to reducing conditions. The paleosalinity of water was brackish to fresh from Huoshiling to Yingcheng depositions. The organic matters of the Huoshiling–Yingcheng shales mainly originated from terrigenous and/or lacustrine materials. The shales are evaluated as the fair to good source rock potential, and the Huoshiling is the best. The gases in the Huoshiling and Shahezi were mainly organic and thermogenic origins, with some inorganic origins. The gases of organic origins are mainly the mixed sources of coal-derived and oil-associated gases and are predominant products of secondary cracking, suggesting the well gas exploration potential in deep formations of Songliao Basin. The gases in the Shahezi formation are predominantly sourced by the Shahezi shales, indicating an approaching-source accumulation.

Corporate disclosure of CO2 embedded in oil and gas reserves: stock market assessment in a context of global warming

PurposeThe authors assess the informativeness for stock markets of proven reserves of oil and gas, and embedded CO2 in those reserves.Design/methodology/approachBased on a two-step regression approach, the authors attempt to test the relationship between proven reserves, CO2 embedded in those reserves and the stock market value controlling for the selection bias (i.e. the decision of managers to disclose environmental information about embedded CO2).FindingsResults, based on a sample of the US and Canadian firms are the following. Proven reserves increase the firm’s value, while embedded CO2 reduces the stock market value substantially. Furthermore, the decision of managers to disclose information about embedded CO2 is positively related to analyst following, share price volatility, firm size, and institutional ownership.Originality/valueThe current study assesses the long-term incidence of embedded CO2 (in oil and gas proven reserves) on firms’ stock market value, while most studies are focusing on yearly CO2 emissions.

CURRENT STATE AND DEVELOPMENT OF OIL PIPELINE TRANSPORT OF OIL AND GAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

Based on the analysis of the current state, it was revealed that Kazakhstan has significant reserves of fuel and energy resources: proven oil reserves exceed 4 billion tons. Due to the fact that Kazakhstan's own consumption of energy resources is less than their production, the remaining amount is sold on world markets. This article describes that the most preferred mode of transport of energy resources are pipelines, which have the following indisputable advantages: they can be laid in any direction and at any distance, regardless of the landscape; their operation practically does not depend on external conditions (weather conditions, time of year and day); they are more reliable than other types of energy transport and are automated to the greatest extent; cargo delivery is carried out almost all year round, without idle mileage, characteristic of tanks and ships when using other types of transport. In addition, it was recommended that the use of pipelines makes it possible to free up rail and water transport for the transportation of other goods. It was also proposed to expand the routes of transport systems connecting the Caspian oil and gas region with the regions of southern, central and eastern Kazakhstan, which will improve their security in the consumption of hydrocarbon resources. Partial or complete rejection of natural gas imports due to its supplies from the fields of Western Kazakhstan will ensure not only a reduction in foreign exchange costs for its purchase from Uzbekistan, but also reduce dependence on fluctuations in its prices due to changing market conditions and seasonality of supplies. This circumstance justifies the need to redistribute gas resources in the direction of solving the issues of providing the southern region of Kazakhstan with sufficient volumes of this type of resources.

Origin of the Bleaching in Lower Cretaceous Continental Red Beds in the Uragen Zn–Pb Deposit, Xinjiang, NW China, and Its Implications for Zn–Pb Mineralization

The Uragen giant sandstone-hosted Zn–Pb deposit has a proven reserve of 5.90 Mt metals in the southern ore zone and potentially 10 Mt metals for the whole deposit, and orebodies are strictly confined to the bleached clastic rocks of the Lower Cretaceous red beds. The bleaching has been used to guide lead–zinc exploration; however, its nature and origin, as well as the relationship with Zn–Pb mineralization, remains unclear, although it is closely related to regional oil–gas infillings. Detailed field investigation and petrographic observation, TESCAN-integrated mineral analyzer (TIMA), and X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) analysis of the red and bleached sandstone at the same sedimentary layer demonstrate that the bleaching is mainly caused by the reductive dissolution of hematite pigment, which probably resulted from the interaction with H2S formed by in situ sulfate reduction during hydrocarbon migration. The calcite cements in the bleached sandstones show δ13C and δ18O values of −5.36~−5.94‰ and 20.94~27.91‰, respectively, and these samples fall close to the evolution line of decarboxylation of organic matter in δ13C-δ18O diagram, also suggesting a genetic relationship between the bleaching and hydrocarbon-bearing fluids. Petrol–mineral composition changes and sulfide characteristics of red, bleached, mineralized zones, as well as pyrite locally replaced by coarse-grained galena in the mineralized zone, imply that the bleaching may occurred before Zn–Pb mineralization. Mass balance calculation and μ-XRF analysis indicate that large amounts of Fe and minor Zn were extracted from red beds with little or no sulfates; however, the red beds with abundant sulfates may be a sink for leached ore metals during the bleaching process. We therefore propose that the former accumulations of iron sulfides and reduced sulfur in the bleached zones may provide an ideal chemical trap for later Zn–Pb mineralization, and the bleached zones with high ∑S contents are the favorable prospective targets of the Uragen-style sandstone-hosted Zn–Pb deposits.

Aspects of Iraqi hydrocarbon explorations: obstacles and prospects upgrading

The goal of hydrocarbon exploration is to find hydrocarbon accumulation in commercial quantities. When studying the proven oil reserves in Iraq (150 billion barrels) and the probable oil reserves (130 billion barrels) and a proven gas reserves (127 trillion cubic feet) and a probable gas reserves (275) trillion cubic feet, we find that such figures put on a huge task on future exploration requirements. The conversion of a large portion of the probable reserve into a proven reserve is a significant support to firstly to maximize the proven reserve and secondly to further consolidate the financial and economic situation of Iraq. The only way to do this is through a steady increase in drilling exploration wells from (2-3) wells annually at present to (10) wells annually at the very least, noting that the total geological structures are (530) structures, of which only (130) have been drilled during the last decade. Therefore, the remaining (400) structures in the light of the currentrate, Iraq needs more than (133) years to cover the required drilling .If the number of drilled wells is increased annually to (10) wells, the period will decrease to (40) years which seems a relatively reasonable period for significant strengthening of Iraqi hydrocarbon proven reserves before the possibility of finding alternatives to this energy in the future .This study focuses on selecting the preferred structures to be drilled depending on the different geological parameters such as minimum rate of risk, dimensions of structures, probable oil API and their total reserves. The study highlights some of the preferred structures for the location of exploratory wells by determining the different possible geological periods with high oil potential. according to tectonic division adapted by the Exploration Oil Company The study also suggests a few structures that are expected to be future giant reservoirs either by deeper drilling of the existing oil fields, taking into account the results of the latest exploration drilling in neighboring countries or in the deeper reservoirs of the inverted structures, besides revaluating some Iraq Oil Company (IPC) wells which suffer from the problem of old methods.

Перспективы освоения крупных оловорудных месторождений Чукотки

Tin is not mined in the Russian Arctic, despite the huge reserves and resources. In the Soviet period, the Arctic provided more than half of the USSR’s production. Currently, almost all tin mining is concentrated in China and other countries of the Asia-Pacific region, which deposits are gradually being depleted. Russia imports most of the tin products needed by the economy. The Arctic tin resources are the largest reserve not only of the domestic, but also of the world economy. Chukotka has significant proven reserves and resources of tin, until the 90s of the last century, tin and tungsten mining occupied leading positions in the region’s economy. Several major tin deposits have been discovered within the district, but have not yet been developed: Pyrkakayskoe, Ekugskoe, Lunnoe and Kukeney. The authors give a brief geological and economic characteristic of the deposits. In addition to tin, from the complex ores of the Chukchi deposits it is possible to mine tungsten, silver, gold, as well as indium, a valuable metal for the high-tech industry. The restoration of tin mining in Chukotka is among the most important tasks in the socioeconomic development of the Arctic, the solution of which will provide Russian consumers with domestic products and completely abandon imports.