According to the forecast of the International Energy Agency by 2030, as compared with 2000, the world consumption of oil is expected to increase more than 1.5 times, of gas — 2 times. At the same time a share of offshore hydrocarbon production will also increase, which at the beginning of XXI century has already amounted all over the world to 35 % (1095 mln t) for oil and 31.6 (750 bln m³) for gas.
It is in water areas where for the last decade the highest growth in reserves has been registered and large unique fields discovered (offshore areas of Brazil, Angola, Nigeria, Vietnam and others). At present offshore oilfields are being developed in 50 foreign countries.
There was a sharp increase in expenses for prospecting and development of deep-water fields. According to the published data, in 2000 overall capital expenditures for these activities amounted to about 8 bln USD, in 2004 they were nearly 3 times higher and reached 23 bln USD.
Russia has enormous hydrocarbon resources, including offshore ones, which are the national property and base for the development of offshore oil-and-gas industry while being the largest reserve for stabilization and subsequent growth of domestic Energy Complex.
According to the existing forecast assessment, initial recoverable hydrocarbon resources on the Russian shelf reach 100 bln t of equivalent fuel, including 16.7 bln tons of oil and condensate, and about 78.8 trln m³ of gas. This corresponds to 20–25 % of the total volume of world hydrocarbon resources. In fact the offshore area of Russia has become the last significant reserve to solve the problems of long-term hydrocarbon supply for national economy and export in a principal manner.
In accordance with “Energy strategy of Russia through 2020” mapping of hydrocarbon reserves and development of oil and gas fields in water areas is one of the most perspective development trend of mineral raw materials. The domestic offshore petroleum sub-industry is to have the basic strategic task solved through 2020: to make up for the decrease in production and increment of reserves in the most important oil-and gas-bearing provinces on the country's territory and to provide for the growth of these indices in accordance with local and export needs of Russia.
Petroleum potential development of the Russian shelf area will create the basis for country's regular supply of strategic raw materials and guarantee its national security and sovereignity.
Nevertheless, only 10 % of the high hydrocarbon potential in the Russian shelf is referred to the category of reserves. The major part is comprised of hypothetical resources and evaluated by category D. Availability of geological and geophysical data for most of water areas is extremely low. The above shows the necessity to highly stimulate exploration activity in water areas which can provide a required additional quantity of resources and reserves, as well as add to the production of hydrocarbon raw material coming from newly discovered fields.
One of the largest Russian Federation subjects is Krasnodar region occupying the territory all along the Russian Black sea and 4/5 of the Azov sea coast. There are numerous Russian ports in the Azov and Black seas, including non-freeze ones; among them Novorossisk with domestic trade turnover of more than 20 % being realized there. Krasnodar region is a route for numerous oil and gas pipelines.
Of a primary importance is a regular supply of fuel and energy raw materials to this part of Russia. But the oldest oil-and gas-bearing region of Russia has no capacity to cover its own needs at the account of its own hydrocarbon and coal production. As an example, its demand for oil, gas and coal is met but for 50–70 % now. It is due to exhaustion of known land fields in the conditions when production of initial resources exceeds 60–80 % for most of them. Further discoveries are associated with large depths (6–7 km and deeper) and complex natural reservoirs. Moreover, up to now there are no geological backgrounds for the discovery of on-land prolific fields.
But under the bottom of the Azov and Black sea significant resources of hydrocarbon raw materials have been predicted and large reserves are now possible to be discovered there. Though offshore exploration works are more expensive than those on-land ones, their development by some parameters may turn out to be less expensive, especially when there is a highly developed coastal infrastructure and close location to big consumers of fuel and energy raw materials.
In this connection, prospecting, exploration and development of oil-and-gas fields in the water areas of southern seas are the most perspective development trends of raw material base of oil and gas south Russian industry.
It is necessary to note that geographical location of Azov-Black sea area, considering a developed transportation infrastructure, makes it attractive enough for investors. Attraction of finances to prospect, explore and develop oil and gas in new regions takes a special place in making predictions aimed at hydrocarbon production increase in the country.
The Company performs resource studies in 4 licensed blocks in the water area of Black and Azov seas based on the licenses for subsoil use in order to prospect and evaluate hydrocarbon fields issued by the Russian Ministry of natural resources (MNR) in accordance with MNR agreed Programs for geological studies.