There are a number of oil and gas provinces in the Barents Region, as well as in the Barents Sea which is to a great extent under the federal jurisdiction. Their hydrocarbon resources are vital to the future of the northern territories of Russia, as well as to the economy of the whole country. The Timan-Pechora oil province situated in the Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Republic of Komi contains a number of oil and gas fields and identified hydrocarbon structures. The Barents Sea area contains numerous different geological structures with several huge natural gas deposits and a significant potential for new discoveries. The main oil and gas fields in the Barents Region are shown in these linked Maps (Onshore Timan Pechora; North-West Russia). The oil and gas pipeline system in north-west Russia and the CIS as a whole is shown in these linked Maps (oil pipelines; gas pipelines).

It is difficult to estimate the total resources of the above-mentioned oil and gas provinces, because some of the areas are still in the early stages of exploration. Apart from that, the Russian and Western methods of estimation and classification of reserves are somewhat different. The Russian officials have divided the oil and gas resources into six classes: A, B, C₁, C₂ , D₁ and D₂. Class A represents proven reserves and B provable reserves. C₁ represents the reserves estimated by means of drillings and individual tests, and C₂ is estimated by means of seismic exploration. Classes D₁ and D₂ represent hypothetical and speculative reserves. The figures given below are based mainly on Russian estimates.

The energy resources of north-west Russia remain largely unexploited. The total hydrocarbon resources of the Russian Arctic shelf are estimated at about 100 billion tons of oil equivalent (toe). The natural gas reserves in north-west Russia form the most important strategic energy resource in the region. The total natural gas reserves of the Barents Sea are estimated at about 10,000 billion cubic metres (bcm), of which about 3,000 bcm is in the Shtockmanovskoye natural gas and condensate field.

Significant natural gas reserves are also found in the Timan-Pechora oil and gas region which covers parts of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Republic of Komi. The natural gas reserves of the Timan-Pechora region are estimated at over 600 bcm. Deposits in this region are situated both onshore and offshore.

North-west Russia also has rich oil resources. The largest proved reserves in north-west Russia are located in the Timan-Pechora oil province which has estimated recoverable oil reserves of 1.5 billion tons. The main oil field in the area is the Prirazlomnoye field which lies about 60 km off the coast. The eastern and northern parts of the Barents Sea are expected to contain significant oil deposits. It is also expected that oil fields will also be discovered in the so-called Grey-Zone of the Barents Sea which is a 150,000 sq. km sea area over which Norway and Russia have an unresolved delimitation dispute.

Some more exact estimates for oil and gas resources are given below.

The potential Barents Sea natural gas resources are estimated at 10,000 bcm, of which the Shtockmanovskoye natural gas and condensate field is estimated to hold 3,000 bcm. The estimated recoverable reserves of the Shtockmanovskoye field are 2,500 bcm, and the estimated potential annual production capacity is 100-150 bcm.

The licence for the development of the Shtockmanovskoye field is held by JSC Rosshelf, and a few western companies (Conoco, Total, Norsk Hydro, and Neste) are partipating in the ongoing studies to exploit these reserves. The Timan-Pechora oil and gas region which covers parts of the Republic of Komi and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug has estimated natural gas resources of over 600 bcm. In addition, the Republic of Komi has 30 million tons of estimated gas condensate reserves and 200 bcm of natural gas reserves.

The Timan-Pechora oil and gas region has estimated total oil resources of over 4,800 million tons, of which over 1,400 million tons is estimated to be recoverable. The Republic of Komi has 520 million tons of oil resources. Perhaps the most significant deposit found in the Pechora Sea is the Prirazlomnoye oil field, with estimated reserves of 56-62 million tons. The licence for the development of the field is held by JSC Rosshelf, and the Australian company BHP is participating in the development of this field. The exploration of Barents Sea oil resources is still at an early stage.

Timan-Pechora Region

The Timan-Pechora oil province is located in the administrative regions of the Republic of Komi and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The Province extends under water in the Pechora Sea all the way up to the Kolguyev Island. Significant oil and gas deposits have already been discovered in the area, as shown in this linked Map.

The first signs of possible oil deposits in the province were noticed in the 16th century, and oil was produced and refined by very primitive methods as early as 1745. The region attracted real interest in the 1930’s after several discoveries of oil near the town of Ukhta. After the Second World War, exploration and production were concentrated in the Komi Republic. In the late 1960’s, the exploration activities reached the areas north of the Polar Circle and the Arkhangelsk Oblast. Since the 1980’s, the exploration and drilling operations have been carried out intensively in the whole region.

Altogether, 180 known oil and gas fields have been discovered in the Timan-Pechora province, but only 20 of them have been used for production. In 1994, production of oil and condensates in the area totalled 8.7 million tons, and production of gas was about 3.8 million cubic metres. The oil production of the province, however, dropped below half of the maximum figure 10 years ago. According to an official estimate of 1st January 1993, the hydrocarbon reserves (A+B+C₁) of the Timan-Pechora region are the following:

Estimated Oil and Gas Reserves of the Timan-Pechora Region

The Timan-Pechora province is considered the third most important oil producer of the Russian Federation, and there is a significant development potential in the area. During the past few years, the region has attracted the interest of several western oil companies, whose exploration areas are shown in this linked Map. It should be mentioned that the Polar Lights company, formed by the American oil company Conoco Inc. and the Russian company Arkhangelskgeologia, began to produce oil from the Ardalin field already in 1994.

If the above-mentioned oil reserves are compared world-wide, they are equivalent to Norway’s North Sea reserves. However, most of the approximately 200 fields in the region are quite small. Gas reserves are rather small compared to, e.g., the Barents Sea reserves, which means that they are mainly of local importance.

Pechora and Barents Seas

The most important deposit found in the Pechora Sea is the Prirazlomnoye oil field, with estimated proven reserves of 56-62 million tons. The production licence for the field is held by the Russian company Rosshelf, which is currently preparing the development concept together with the Australian company BHP.

Exploration of the Russian Barents Sea began in the 1970’s, and the first drillings were carried out in the early 1980’s. So far, the discoveries in the area consist of 10 significant gas and condensate fields, as well as a total of 125 identified fields or potential structures, as shown in this linked Map. The largest deposit is the Shtockmanovskoye gas and condensate field, discovered in 1988, with total reserves of over 3,000 bcm, and with estimated recoverable reserves (C₁ + C₂) of 2,500 bcm. The Russian company Rosshelf is studying, together with a group of western companies, the possibilities of also developing the Shtockmanovskoye field.