Federal officials and experts in the oil and gas industry voiced mechanisms to overcome the sanctions decisions of Western countries.
According to them, import substitution programs, support from the federal center in the field of taxation, and, according to a number of experts, even the transition from a liberal to a mobilization economy should play a special role here. A significant role in this matter should be played by the state, which, apparently, can become the main regulator of the fuel and energy complex market. Meanwhile, among the priority areas of support, announced at the international forum “Oil Capital” in Yugra, are oilfield service companies, oil refining and developers of the fields of the Bazhenov formation. By the way, the industry continues to insist that the implementation of the latest project requires its own technologies that take into account the nature of hydrocarbon deposits. During the dialogue, a traditionally painful topic for oil and gas provinces was touched upon – providing service companies with products of the domestic machine-building complex. Updated the question of the latest statements of the “Big Four” about leaving the Russian market. However, analysts are confident that over the past eight years, the industry has mostly got rid of imports. Only 10% remained at risk.
The V International Youth Scientific and Practical Forum “Oil Capital” has become a platform for discussing solutions that will overcome Western sanctions, as well as new prospects for import substitution in the oil and gas industry and the development of hard-to-recover hydrocarbon reserves. Fresh ideas for the fuel and energy complex are voiced by representatives of mining companies, universities and the scientific community of Russia in Surgut.
However, the regions of Greater Tyumen have been on the agenda of import substitution since 2014, as noted by the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Ural Federal District Vladimir Yakushev. It was then, according to the federal politician, that the federation faced the first challenges from the West.
“In this case, we are talking about oil and gas services. The order, which was supposed to be present for the machine-building complex, programmers, our companies made, and kept it on the market. Today, oil and gas companies say that 85-90% of import substitution has taken place. We have succeeded a lot, but this year the country has tougher conditions, and there are moments that are worth talking about. And now it is necessary to look for a solution for the remaining 10%. There are problems with polymers of the acrylic series and biopolymers, hydraulic fracturing, high-capacity equipment. The replacement will be difficult at the initial stage, ”the plenipotentiary representative outlined the state of affairs on the market.
The situation was exacerbated, according to Vladimir Yakushev, by the announcement of the “big four” oilfield services – Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Weatherford – to suspend operations in Russia. However, the representative of the president believes that it is too early to draw conclusions about the consequences, from his point of view, of this emotional decision. “Now everyone is considering possible losses from the announcement of sanctions against Russia, which also hit those who initiated them. When there are concrete documents, then we can have a substantive conversation,” the representative of the head of state added.
Alexei Kontrovich, Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, also spoke about import substitution. True, he focused on refusing to borrow American technologies for extracting difficult oil, which are inefficient in Russia. “Practice has shown that the geology and nature of the oil deposits of the Bazhenov formation is fundamentally different. Our task is to create our own methods, which should be accompanied by engineering work,” the expert said.
Pavel Sorokin, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, tried to tell about the implementation of tasks in the conditions of tough sanctions. The official, in particular, drew attention to the work to build the functioning of the fuel and energy complex in the new realities.
“It is important to note that the fuel and energy complex is not only a major employer and investor in the country’s economy, but also an integral part of the global energy market. One of the primary tasks is to meet the needs of oil refineries that supply the country with fuel. We are now working on support measures for refineries, taxation issues in the context of volatility in world quotes,” commented the Deputy Minister.
By the way, the topic of support through taxation will also affect mining companies. As plenipotentiary representative Yakushev added, at the federal level the issue is raised not on individual fields, but is put more broadly – the entire West Siberian province must be brought under the tax on additional income from hydrocarbon production. Now it is the most prepared for extraction. Resources of 4.2 billion tons of oil should come to the service of people and the country,” the politician outlined the task.
The work of the forum was not without criticism. Rector of St. Petersburg Mining University Vladimir Litvinenko voiced harsh remarks against the federal curators of the industry, who pointed to the absence of a relevant deputy minister responsible for the fundamental sector of the economy. “There is no person in the Russian government who could manage the hydrocarbon sector. What can governors do in this case? Which door to go to get the answer? This is the key problem of the day,” the head of the university shared his personal opinion.
At the same time, the expert insists that under the current conditions, the state should assume the role of a market regulator. “Living in a liberal economy, we have come to the conclusion that exploration has become an inefficient investment mechanism. To survive now, we do not need a mobilization economy,” Vladimir Litvinenko urged.
Meanwhile, in her speech, Yugra Governor Natalya Komarova drew attention to the main topic of the meeting – ESG principles in the development of the oil region. So, according to the head of the district, one of them is to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Yugra adheres to a balanced environmental policy without restrictions for economic growth.
Governor of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra Natalya Komarova on the right
“Among the priority areas are joint projects with companies on reforestation, conservation and restoration of fish and water reserves, land clearing from waste from industrial and municipal activities, and achieving carbon neutrality. The current last of these areas is provided through the development of technologies for capturing, transporting, storing and utilizing carbon, increasing the absorbing capacity of natural greenhouse gas sinks,” the governor outlined the areas of work.
The second principle Natalya Komarova called the creation of a favorable social climate for the population. According to her, along with budgetary investments, the region is actively using public-private partnerships. At the same time, organizations of the oil and gas complex demonstrate a high interest in social projects.