Britain’s oil and gas company Regal Petroleum Plc with assets in Ukraine boosted average daily production in 2018 at the MekhediviskaGolotvshinska (MEX-GOL) and Svyrydivske (SV) gas and condensate fields (both are located in Poltava region) by 67% or 1,088 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) compared with 2017, to 2,717 boepd.
According to a company press release, totally gas production at the two fields last year came to 341,216 cubic meters (a rise of 72.3% on 2017), and condensate production – 70 cubic meters (a rise of 48.9%) and LPG output – 36 cubic meters (a rise of 50%).
Average daily production at the Vasyschevskoye (VAS) gas and condensate field in Kharkiv region in 2018 grew by 11.2%, to 674 boepd. Average daily gas production rose by 10.1%, to 94,752 cubic meters and condensate – by 26.1%, to 8.2 cubic meters.
In Q4 2018, average daily production at the three fields totaled 4,139 boepd, which is 48% more than a year ago (2,803 boepd).
The company said that At the MEX-GOL field, preparations are continuing for the drilling of the MEX-119 well. At the VAS field, acquisition of additional 3D seismic is underway, to complete the acquisition of a field-wide 3D seismic data set.
Energees Management, part of Smart-Holding of Vadim Novinsky, holds 54% in Regal.
The operating company responsible for the oil and gas sectors in the structure of the DTEK energy holding – DTEK Oil & Gas – has become the holder of 24.99% shares in private joint-stock company Kyivoblenergo earlier belonged to VS Energy International Ukraine LLC.
According to a report of Kyivoblenergo posted in the information disclosure system of the National Commission for Securities and the Stock Market, VS Energy now holds 33.60788% shares in the company.
As reported, early January 2019, DTEK announced its intention to build up 68.2949% of shares in JSC Odesaoblenergo and 93.9978% in JSC Kyivoblenergo owned by VS Energy Group.
DTEK was established in 2005 to manage the energy assets of Rinat Akhmetov’s System Capital Management Group (SCM, Donetsk). The corporation performs functions of strategic management of the group’s enterprises, which constitute a vertically integrated chain of coal production and washing, production and sale of electricity.
VS Energy International Ukrainе owns shares in the following companies: Kyivoblenergo, Rivneoblenergo, Khersonoblenergo, Kirovohradoblenergo, Zhytomyroblenergo, Odesaoblenergo, Chernivtsioblenergo, Sevastopolenergo. Also, the company owns large stakes in Mykolaivoblenergo and Khmelnytskoblenergo.
According to the unified public register of companies, the ultimate beneficiaries of VS Energy International Ukraine are citizen of Germany Marina Yaroslavskaya, as well as citizens of Latvia Vilis Dambins, Arturs Altbergs and Valts Vigants. Ukrainian media and politicians also named several Russian businessmen as beneficiaries of the company.
DTEK Oil & Gas extracted 1.649 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in 2018, which is almost the same as in 2017 (1.65 bcm), the company’s press service has reported.
The press service said that in general, the gas production target was met by 103%.
The company produced 51,500 tonnes of gas condensate, which is 4.6% less than in 2017 (54,000 tonnes).
At the end of the year, DTEK Oil & Gas drilled wells No. 25 and No. 61 at the Semyrenkivske field, finalized an investment project for the construction of a propane-refrigeration unit, which was launched at the Olefirivska gas pre-treatment unit in September 2018.
In addition, major overhauls were carried out to intensify production at the existing well stock, as well as a condensate stabilization gas utilization compressor at the Olefirivska gas pre-treatment unit and Semyrenkivske gas pre-treatment unit were equipped and launched, which make it possible to increase the environmental friendliness of the fossil fuel production process.
“In 2018, we confirmed our record high thanks to the increase in the efficiency of work with the existing fund and the introduction of modern technologies. We managed to produce an additional 100 million cubic meters of gas thanks to innovation,” DTEK Oil & Gas CEO Ihor Schurov said.
Oil transit through the territory of Ukraine to European countries in 2018 decreased by 4.3% (602,400 tonnes) compared with 2017, to 13.335 million tonnes, according to Ukrtransnafta. According to Interfax-Ukraine calculations, the volume of oil pumping to the refineries of the country in 2018 increased by 0.2% (4,500 tonnes), to 2.101 million tonnes.
Thus, last year the share of transit in the total volume of oil transportation (15.436 million tonnes) amounted to 86.4%, the share of pumping to the country’s refineries was 13.6%.
PJSC Ukrnafta in January-November 2018 increased production of oil and gas condensate by 5.1% or 65,000 tonnes year-over-year, to 1.324 million tonnes, the company’s press service has reported.
Over the period average daily oil production was 4,000 tonnes (5.1% more than a year ago).
The company recalled that positive dynamics was observed thanks to the resumption of operation at wells at six fields, which Ukrnafta was forced to stop in the second half of 2017, as well as thanks to measures aimed at intensifying production at the existing well stock.
According to the company, gas production in January-November 2018 decreased by 3.1% (by 32 million cubic meters), to 986 million cubic meters, and the production of liquefied gas – by 5.7% (6,000 tonnes), to 100,000 tonnes.
In general, in January-November 2018, Ukrnafta carried out 14 hydraulic fractures, completed the overhaul of 97 wells, and carried out 80 operations to intensify production.
“Thanks to the overhaul, as of the end of November, an additional 51,600 tonnes of oil and condensate were produced, as well as 68.1 million cubic meters of gas. Intensification of operations added 24,100 tonnes of oil and 7.1 million cubic meters of gas,” the company said.
Ukrnafta predicts to increase in annual oil and condensate production by 5% by the end of 2018 compared to the planned figure (1.38 million tonnes), to 1.45 million tonnes. Gas production could grow by 11%, to 1.08 billion cubic meters (the target is 0.97 billion cubic meters, production in 2017 amounted to 1.11 billion cubic meters).
Ukrnafta is the largest oil producing company in the country.
Naftogaz Ukrainy owns 50% plus one share in Ukrnafta and companies associated with the former shareholders in PrivatBank own about 42%.
Kernel, one of the largest Ukrainian agricultural groups, plans to launch an oil processing plant in Starokostiantyniv district of Khmelnytsky region in early 2021, according to the annual report of Kernel Holding S.A. (Luxembourg). “The plant for processing oilseeds is located in the middle of western Ukraine, in the area with high sunflower yields and production,” chairman of the board of directors Andriy Verevsky said.
According to him, the capacity of the processing plant will be one million tonnes of grain per year, the volume of oil storage facilities is 100,000 tonnes. Commissioning is scheduled for early 2021. The construction of a combined heat and power plant with a capacity of 22 MW running on sunflower husk is also envisaged.
According to Verevsky, the company plans by the end of 2020 to install similar heat and power plants at all its plants, their total capacity will be 72 MW.
In addition, Kernel plans in 2019 to put into operation the second grain terminal of the company in Chornomorsk.
The launch of the first phase of the second terminal TransGrainTerminal with a capacity of one million tonnes per year is scheduled for January 2019. The entire terminal will be completed by the end of 2019, its capacity will be 4 million tonnes of grain per year.
