According to the features of the relief in the Arctic, the shelf with islands of continental origin and the adjacent margins of the continents and the Arctic basin are distinguished.
According to the names of the marginal Arctic seas, the Arctic shelf is quite clearly divided into the Barents, Kara, Laptev and East Siberian Chukchi. A significant part of the latter also adjoins the shores of North America.

The Barents Sea shelf in recent decades has become one of the most studied geologically and geomorphologically. In structural and geological terms, this is a Precambrian platform with a thick cover of sedimentary rocks of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. On the outskirts of the Barents Sea, the bottom is composed of ancient folded complexes of various ages (near the Kola Peninsula and northeast of Spitsbergen, Archean-Proterozoic, off the coast of Novaya Zemlya, Hercynian and Caledonian).

The shelf of the Kara Sea is heterogeneous in structural and geological terms, its southern part is mainly a continuation of the West Siberian Hercynian plate. In the northern part, the shelf crosses the submerged link of the Ural-Novazemelsky meganticlinorium (a complex mountain-folded structure), the structures of which continue in northern Taimyr and in the Severozemelsky archipelago.
The predominant type of relief on the Laptev shelf is a marine accumulative plain, along the coasts, as well as on individual banks, abrasion-accumulative plains.
The accumulative leveled relief continues on the bottom of the East Siberian Sea, in some places on the bottom of the sea (near the New Siberian Islands, to the northwest of the Bear Islands) a ridge relief is clearly expressed.

The bottom of the Chukchi Sea is dominated by flooded denudation plains (flattened surfaces formed as a result of the destruction of ancient hills or mountains). The southern part of the sea floor is a deep structural depression filled with loose sediments and, probably, Meso-Cenozoic effusives.
The shelf along the northern coast of Alaska is not wide and is a denudation, largely thermal abrasion plain. Near the northern margins of the Canadian archipelago and Greenland, the shelf is "overdeep" and, in contrast to the Chukotka shelf, is replete with relict glacial landforms.

The Arctic is the polar part of the Earth, consisting of the margins of the continents of Eurasia and North America, the Arctic Ocean with islands, as well as the adjacent parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Among the features of the relief in the Arctic are: the shelf with islands of continental origin, the adjacent margins of the continents and the Arctic Basin, located in its central part.

There are eight states on the territory of the Arctic region, among them: Russia, Canada, the USA (Alaska), Norway, Denmark (Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Sweden and Iceland. Russia has the longest border.

An important geopolitical significance is assigned to the Arctic continental shelf, the total area of ​​which is 32 million square meters. km. The shelf affects the northern margin of Eurasia, the Bering Sea, the Hudson Bay, the South China Sea, and the northern coast of Australia.

The shelf is used in fishing and marine animal trade, commercial fishing is 92%. It also conducts extensive exploration of minerals. According to joint research by the US and Danish Geological Surveys, up to a quarter of all the world's hydrocarbons can be stored in the bowels of the Arctic.

In 2009, the journal Science published a study of the natural resources of the Arctic, which determined the supply of minerals: 83 billion barrels of oil (approximately 10 billion tons), which is 13% of the world's undiscovered reserves, as well as about 1,550 trillion. cubic meters of natural gas. According to scientists, most of the undiscovered oil reserves lie off the coast of Alaska, and natural gas reserves lie off the coast of Russia.

When studying the geopolitical issue of the Arctic shelf, it is important to understand that there is no international agreement regulating the status of the Arctic zone.
In the 1920s, a number of countries, including the USSR, Norway, Denmark, which owns Greenland, the USA and Canada, divided the Arctic region into sectors. Each of the countries laid borders along the meridians to the Northern Plus. However, in light of the liberation of the region from ice, such a decision was publicly recognized as unfair. In 1982, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was signed, ratified by Russia in 1997.

According to Article 76 of this Convention, the rights of the listed countries extend to an economic zone not more than 200 miles wide from the coastline. Within these limits, the state gains control over resources, including oil and gas. The remaining areas of the seas and oceans have been declared a common world heritage, which means that any country can apply for the development of the Arctic shelf. oil and gas fields. Following, in January 2011, an agreement was signed on the exploration and development of three sectors of the Kara Sea between the oil giants Rosneft and British Petroleum (BP).
The Arctic attracts with rich gas and oil reserves. In 2001, Russia became the first of the five Arctic countries to apply to expand the boundaries of its continental shelf. In 1948, the Lomonosov Ridge was discovered by the Soviet Arctic expedition. In fact, this ridge is a huge bridge 1800 km long between the continental platforms of Asia and America and divides the Arctic in half. Russian researchers suggest that the underwater ridges of Lomonosov and Mendeleev, which stretch towards Greenland, are geologically a continuation of the Siberian continental platform. Experts from other countries think that the Lomonosov Ridge is separated from the mainland by the Northern Fault, and thus is not a continuation of the Siberian Platform.
If the Lomonosov Ridge is a “natural bridge”, then, when interpreting the “ridge” as “uplift”, the entire Lomonosov Ridge is ours, in accordance with Article 76, paragraph 5 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. In recent years, Russia has been closely studying the structure of the seabed in the area where the shelf of the New Siberian Islands passes into the Lomonosov Ridge.

In the summer of 2007, the polar expedition Arktika-2007 started, the purpose of which was to study the shelf. The achievement of Russian researchers was the descent to a depth of 4261 meters, where unique rock samples were taken, and the flag of the Russian Federation was installed.
On October 1, 2010, another expedition "North Pole - 38" started from Murmansk, one of the main scientific tasks of which was to substantiate Russian rights to the continental shelf. The expedition "Shelf-2010" was carried out from July to October last year, and in its course, irrefutable evidence was obtained that the Lomonosov Ridge at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean is part of the Russian continental shelf.
On September 4, 2011, the final work on determining the high-latitude boundary of the continental shelf in the Arctic was completed by the icebreaker Rossiya and the research expedition ship Akademik Fedorov. The data obtained in the course of these works will form the basis of the evidence base for Russia's application to the UN.

The US and Canada have joined forces to prove their rights to most of the Arctic continental shelf. In September 2008 and August 2009, US-Canadian researchers conducted two expeditions that collected data on the seafloor and continental shelf. The data is still being processed and not widely publicized, but the commander of the US Coast Guard Agency, Admiral Robert Papp, just a month ago, spoke at a meeting of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard of the Senate Commerce Committee, which was held in Anchorage, Alaska. “The capabilities of the Coast Guard Agency in the Arctic are very limited, in the northern shelf area we have no hangars for aircraft, no parking for ships, no bases for living personnel. The agency has only one operational icebreaker.”

Minerals

In terms of oil and gas richness, the shelves of the seas of the Arctic Ocean surpass all other oceans of the Earth.

In the Russian sector of the Barents Sea, two large depressions stand out: the South and North Barents. In the structure of the Mesozoic deposits between the depressions there is an elevated zone separating them - the Ludlovskaya saddle (sometimes called the Barents Sea dome). This structural element has dimensions of 200x300 km and an amplitude of 500 m along the top of the Upper Jurassic black clays. Both depressions, together with the uplifted zone separating them, unite into the East Barents megatrough (syneclise). In geological terms, the megatrough is a single very large deep-seated oil and gas basin, formed over a long time, in which powerful generation centers and oil and gas accumulation zones are combined. Within the mentioned elevated zone there is the Ludlovskoye gas condensate field with deposits in the Jurassic terrigenous complex, and to the south - the Ice field.

To the north of the Barents Sea dome, according to seismic data, a large elevated zone of Triassic-Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits, approximately 100x100 km in size, is distinguished, which is also an object of oil and gas accumulation. Within its limits, the Luninskoe uplift was revealed, and other favorable structures - hydrocarbon traps - can also be found. The Luninskaya zone, as well as the Barents Sea arch, is considered in the future as the largest zone of oil and gas accumulation, and because the Jurassic gas-bearing horizons of the Shtokman field are traced in this direction and, in addition, the oil and gas potential of the Triassic deposits is predicted. The parameters adopted for calculating the probable gas reserves of the Luninsky uplift, by analogy with the Shtokman uplift, make it possible to assume here a gas field with reserves of at least 3 trillion m 3 .

Highly promising for discovering oil and gas fields is the Admiralteisky swell, which stretches for almost 400 km along the western coast of Novaya Zemlya and limits the Barents Sea megatrough from the east. So far, one well has been drilled on the shaft, which has exposed Triassic deposits with signs of oil. Three significant uplifts were identified within the swell: Krestovoe (30x40 km), Admiralteyskoye (60x50) and Pakhtusovskoe (60x40). It is assumed that Devonian deposits of reduced thickness occur here at a depth of 6-8 km. The main stratigraphic complex of the swell is the Permo-Triassic rocks. Based on the finds of oil shows, bitumen and asphaltites on the island of Novaya Zemlya and the Franz Josef Land archipelago, oil and gas horizons are predicted in them. Findings of naphthides are also known in the Devonian deposits. Today, there is already enough geological knowledge about the structure of the Admiralteisky Wall to suggest a discovery here in the first half of the 21st century. largest oil and gas fields, despite difficult ice conditions that will undoubtedly hinder their development.

The shelf of the Kara Sea is the northern continuation of the West Siberian oil and gas province. In the southwestern part of the Kara Sea, the South Kara Basin is located, composed of an 8-km-thick stratum of Jurassic and Cretaceous terrigenous deposits with a high content of organic matter and a significant oil and gas producing potential. Russian experts believe that one of the largest oil and gas basins has formed here. This is evidenced by the discovery on the coast of the Yamal Peninsula in the deposits of the Lower and Upper Cretaceous of giant and large gas condensate fields (Bovanenkovskoye, Kharasaveyskoye, Kruzenshternovskoye, etc.).

So far, only three deep wells have been drilled on the shelf of the Kara Sea within the South Kara Basin. They made it possible to discover the Rusanovskoye and Leningradskoye gas condensate fields in the Upper Cretaceous deposits, containing more than 10 gas reservoirs with preliminary estimated reserves exceeding 8 trillion m 3 .
Both deposits are not explored. Their location in the sea at a depth of 50-100 m and gigantic reserves make the deposits unique and economical for development in the 21st century. These fields will be developed depending on the rate of gas consumption.

In the northeastern part of the Kara Sea, the North Kara depression was identified, within which the crystalline basement occurs at a depth of 12–20 km. The depression is filled with Paleozoic and Mesozoic deposits and is also characterized by a huge oil-producing potential.
In the eastern sector of the Russian Arctic, four basins are distinguished: Laptev (in the Laptev Sea), East Siberian (in the sea of ​​the same name), North and South Chukchi (on the shelf of the Chukchi Sea). All these basins have been studied very poorly. One can make assumptions about their geological structure mainly based on the results of regional seismic marine profiles and other types of geophysical work.

There are very few data on the geological structure of the presumably identified East Siberian oil and gas basin. It can only be assumed that the Paleozoic and Mesozoic carbonate-terrigenous sequence with a total thickness of 8-10 km continues here, and is exposed on the New Siberian Islands. Of interest is the deep-water part of the Toll Basin, which is likely to develop zones of wedging out of sediments and the formation of oil and gas deposits in them.
The Arctic shelf is also rich in other mineral deposits - coal, gold, copper, nickel, tin, platinum, manganese, etc. Of these, today only coal deposits on the Svalbard archipelago and gold deposits on Bolshevik Island (Severnaya Zemlya) are being developed. There is no doubt that the demand for strategic scarce raw materials from the continental shelf in the world market will grow.
Mineral resources of the Taimyr-Severozemelskaya region have not been studied enough.

Large coal deposits are known in the South Byrrangskaya zone, confined to the deposits of the Tatarian stage of the Upper Permian. Copper-nickel mineralization is associated with bed intrusions of the Lower Triassic trap formation in the same zone. Lead-zinc, arsenic-antimony-mercury deposits and tungsten-molybdenum mineralization, possibly associated with undiscovered subalkaline massifs of Triassic age, were found in the zones of faults and in ore-bearing veins penetrating the Paleozoic deposits of the South Taimyr megazone. Extensive fields of muscovite-microcline pegmatites are associated with Late Proterozoic granitoids of the North Taimyr megazone.

Silver and gold-selenide-silver mineralization is mainly associated with felsic volcanics of the outer zone of the Okhotsk-Chukotka belt, and gold and gold-silver-telluride mineralization is mainly associated with basic volcanics. Mercury, antimony, copper, tin, fluorite, native sulfur are also associated with Cretaceous effusives, and deposits of molybdenum, tungsten, lead and zinc are associated with granitoids.



There are "serious questions" for the Danes. The fact is that a significant part of the Danish Arctic application is based on the use of geological materials ... Russia.

Are the Danes carried away by geological plagiarism? Let's try to figure it out. The history of the Arctic shelf has been going on for quite a long time, since the beginning of the century. And nothing has changed.

Since 2001, Moscow has been unsuccessfully proving to the world community that the underwater Lomonosov Ridge is a continuation of Eurasia, that is, it seems to be part of the territory of the Russian Federation. Year after year, this evidence is considered (and some successfully rejected) by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. It consists of more than two dozen specialists representing different states. They meet several times a year. Usually, the "congress" of experts, at which applications are considered (and any decision is made on them or not), lasts 4-5 days.

At the end of 2001, Moscow submitted its first application to the UN Commission for the expansion of the Arctic shelf.

Recall, according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the economic zone of states is allowed to expand, but on one condition: the seabed outside the zone is a natural continuation of the edge of the mainland. Shelf boundaries belonging to a certain state are recognized by default as equal to two hundred nautical miles. In its application, Moscow insisted on the right to include underwater spaces off the northern coast and east coast into its continental shelf. Scientists from Russia, who are aware of the hydrocarbon resources of the Arctic shelf, made an attempt to convince UN experts that the Lomonosov Ridge belongs to the Eurasian continent. International experts did not approve the application due to insufficient evidence base. That application was considered relatively quickly: in June 2002, the document was rejected with an indication of insufficient detailing of bottom relief maps and insufficient validity of the continental nature of the uplifts mentioned in the list and their connection with the Siberian shelf.

Years passed during which a new application was being prepared. This is not just a piece of paper: relevant studies have been carried out.

In May-September 2007, Russia organized the Arktika-2007 expedition to study the shelf of the Arctic Ocean. On August 1, scientists reached the North Pole, and the next day, the Mir-1 and Mir-2 deep-sea manned submersibles descended to the bottom and performed oceanographic, hydrometeorological and ice studies, for the first time in history, carrying out an experiment on taking samples of soil and flora from a depth 4261 meters. The results of the expedition became the basis of Russia's position in resolving the issue of ownership of the corresponding part of the Arctic shelf.

A few years later, in the fall of 2014, when the research ship Akademik Fedorov returned from the Arctic, Moscow announced the completion of work to form an application to the UN for shelf expansion.

In the new extended application of Russia, among other things, it was indicated that there were unresolved issues regarding the delimitation of maritime spaces with Denmark and Canada. The fact is that Denmark's application for a shelf north of Greenland, filed in December 2014, blocked the areas included in the Russian application (the polar region and part of the Lomonosov Ridge). Canada's application may relate to the rise of Mendeleev (the reference is given according to information from RIA Novosti).

Russia's extended application was discussed at the 41st session of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in August 2016. Later, in December 2016, Moscow provided the commission's experts with additional information substantiating the application.

According to the director of the Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics (INGG SB RAS), Academician Mikhail Epov , the updated Russian application, which was considered by UN experts in August 2016, is very convincing.

The first application of Russia, the expert noted, did not pass due to the lack of an evidence base (reliable geological data and seismic surveys). “I believe that now the data are presented with a very high degree of reliability,” RIA Novosti quotes the scientist.

"One of the main pieces of evidence is the finds of paleontologists who establish the age of the finds and paleogeography. This is one of the reliable evidence that at that time there was a continent here, and not a sea," Mikhail Epov specified.

He also noted that if fundamental research in the relevant field had not begun seventy years ago, now Russia would have nothing to present to the UN.

An extended application, let us add, can be considered by UN specialists for a long time, for example, five years or a little less. The review period can be shortened by negotiation. But so far there has been no progress in this direction.

What does Russia want today? The same as before. It plans to “attach” the Lomonosov Ridge and other sections of the seabed, including the Podvodnikov Basin, the Mendeleev Rise, the southern tip of the Gakkel Ridge and the North Pole zone.

Why is it necessary? Russia plans to "grow" the Arctic not only territorially, but also "hydrocarbons": it is assumed that there are large reserves of minerals.

There are about six dozen deposits beyond the Arctic Circle, and 43 of them are located in the Russian sector. The total resources of the Russian Arctic are estimated by experts at 106 billion tons of oil equivalent, and gas reserves - at 69.5 trillion. cubic meters. According to some minimal estimates, the “increment” of the above-mentioned part of the Arctic by Russia would make it possible to obtain at the disposal of the amount of hydrocarbons that would be enough to produce 5 billion tons of reference fuel.

The aforementioned UN commission is not the only one dealing with the Arctic. Unlike issues of geology and geography, issues of international cooperation in the Arctic are decided by the Arctic Council. This organization was established in 1996 in accordance with the Ottawa Declaration. The Intergovernmental Forum promotes cooperation, primarily in the field of environmental protection.

The members of the Arctic Council are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the USA.

And recently Moscow was politely reminded of the need for a "constructive" approach within the framework of this Council.

As Margot Wallström, Swedish Foreign Minister, said recently, the Arctic Council remains an important platform for constructive discussions with Russia. "All forums devoted to international cooperation are especially important now, when there is an increase in nationalism and polarization, and the idea that countries should think first of all about their own interests and not worry about finding multilateral solutions is gaining more and more popularity," Wallström said at the "In addition, we are glad to have the opportunity to work with Russia in the Arctic Council and conduct a constructive dialogue with it, although in other areas we may have a conflict of interest" (quoted by TASS).

It is important to know that in 2015 the chairmanship of the Council passed (for two years) to the United States. In May 2017, the States will hand over the presidency to Finland. For now, everyone is looking at Trump. Including Russia.

Recently, on January 21, the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation Sergey Donskoy made a statement that spread throughout the Russian press.
According to him, Russia has a number of significant comments on the justification of Denmark's application to expand the boundaries of the shelf in the Arctic, including the use of Russian geological information. “We are negotiating not only in the UN committee, but also with countries that border on us, with Denmark, Canada,” Interfax quotes him.

"So far we have questions for the Danes. Specialists of the Ministry of Natural Resources were in Copenhagen in December, and there they presented a preliminary concept," Donskoy said. "In addition, comments were made on their application. We showed where we disagree, and quite seriously." . "We have the main remarks in the substantiation. Despite the fact that most of the Danes' application is based on the use of our geological materials," the minister added.

Where did the Danes get the Russian materials from? According to Donskoy, these materials were open to analysis for validity.

The head of the Ministry of Natural Resources also said that the Russian side will hold talks with the United States in the future on expanding borders in the Arctic, despite the fact that Washington has not ratified the agreement on the delimitation of the Arctic continental shelf.

Are there any chances for such negotiations? And what will they be if Washington has not even ratified the necessary agreement?

"What the procedure will be is already a matter for the future, but in any case, negotiations will have to be held," Donskoy said. He also noted, TASS reports, that Russia has always taken into account the fact that the United States does not agree with the Russian application to expand the boundaries of the continental shelf in the Arctic.

"Naturally, we considered all this as a fact, it has long been known. The second point - in any case, we have, in addition to the fact that the commission (UN) must consider the application and confirm its validity, then there are still (to be) negotiations with those countries with which we border: with the Danes, Canadians," the agency quoted the minister as saying.

Meanwhile, in other states, Trump is simply laughed at, exposing him in an unsightly light.

Has Donald Trump ever heard of the Arctic? writes Silke Bigalke in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. And he adds: “No one knows what Trump’s policy in the Arctic will be,” says US representative to the Arctic Council David Balton, and he should be aware. Balton will chair meetings of the Arctic Council while the US chairs it, until power will be handed over to Finland in May. Former President Barack Obama became the first US president to visit the American Arctic, and later banned oil and gas production in vast swaths of the region. "Do you think Trump has ever heard of the Arctic?" Balton host "Apparently not," he replies.

Some Russian experts, however, are full of optimism about Russia's Arctic future.

“If the decision of the commission is not in our favor, we can always try to “go in” from the other side,” Alexander Shpunt, general director of the Institute for Political Analysis Instruments, told the Free Press. “In any case, I see no reason not to try to enlist the support of the main international organization. We already had a positive experience when the Sea of ​​Okhotsk was recognized as the exclusive economic zone of Russia. We can try to repeat it."

The situation with the Arctic "growth", we add, should be considered as still uncertain. The UN Commission, which has been delaying the recognition of the territories as Russian for so many years, will undoubtedly continue to delay. Apparently, Moscow is counting on some support from Washington, relying on Donald Trump. It seems to us that such hopes are meaningless. Trump is an American president, not a Russian one, and he clearly does not intend to expand Russia territorially. He will not strengthen his political opponent, this is obvious. In addition, the United States has not yet ratified the agreement on the delimitation of the Arctic continental shelf.

Probably, the main disputes over the shelf will not unfold now, but in the warm season: in May, the chairmanship of the Arctic Council will pass to Finland, and in the summer the composition of the UN commission will change.

Oleg Chuvakin

Ivan Panichkin, Lecturer, Department of Legal Problems of the Fuel and Energy Complex, MIEP MGIMO, MFA of Russia, RIAC Expert

Active work on the development of the Arctic shelf in the USSR began in the early 1980s. Development prospects were associated primarily with the Pechora and Kara Seas, which are offshore extensions of the Timan-Pechora and West Siberian oil and gas provinces.

A number of drilling vessels were ordered for the development of offshore fields in the Soviet Union and abroad. Thanks to investments in the creation of the drilling fleet in the period 1983-1992. 10 large deposits were discovered in the Barents, Pechora and Kara seas.

After the collapse of the USSR, in 1991-1998, the Russian drilling fleet worked almost exclusively on the shelf of Western Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

The actual cessation of exploration work in the Arctic after 1991 and the loss of the Arctic drilling fleet led to the fact that today the degree of exploration of the Arctic continental shelf of the Russian Federation remains extremely low: the Barents Sea - 20%, the Kara Sea - 15%, the East Siberian Sea, the Laptev Sea and the Chukchi Sea - 0%.

In total, 25 fields have been discovered on the Russian continental shelf in the Arctic, all of which are located in the Barents and Kara Seas (including the Ob and Taz Bays) and have recoverable reserves of industrial categories of more than 430 million tons of oil and 8.5 trillion m 3 of gas.

In 2008, the Law of the Russian Federation “On Subsoil” dated February 21, 1992 was amended to limit the range of companies that can be granted licenses for the right to use subsoil areas of the continental shelf of the Russian Federation. In this regard, today only Rosneft and OAO Gazprom are allowed to work on the shelf.

The first and so far the only oil and gas project being implemented on the Russian Arctic shelf is the development of the Prirazlomnoye oil field, discovered in 1989 in the Pechora Sea. The reserves of the field are estimated at 72 million tons of oil. The license for its development is owned by Gazprom Neft Shelf. In August 2011, the Prirazlomnaya offshore ice-resistant oil platform with a design capacity of up to 6.5 million tons per year was delivered here. Commercial development of the field began in December 2013. In 2014, 300 thousand tons of oil (about 2.2 million barrels) were shipped from the platform and delivered to the port of Rotterdam. The oil produced was named "Arctic Oil" (ARCO). In 2015, the company plans to double its production and shipment volumes. The area of ​​the deposit is characterized by difficult natural and climatic conditions, namely: the ice cover persists for seven months, the height of ice hummocks reaches two meters, and the minimum air temperature can drop below 45 ° C.

The actual cessation of exploration work in the Arctic after 1991 and the loss of the Arctic drilling fleet led to the fact that today the degree of exploration of the Arctic continental shelf of the Russian Federation remains extremely low.

The Gazprom Group continues to prepare for the implementation of another project in the Pechora Sea related to the development of the Dolginskoye oil field. At the field, whose recoverable reserves are estimated at more than 200 million tons of oil equivalent (1.7 billion barrels), four exploration wells have already been drilled. It is planned to involve the Vietnamese company "PetroVietnam" in the development of the field. The start of production is scheduled for 2020, and by 2026 it is planned to reach a peak production of 4.8 million tons of oil per year.

The project to develop the Shtokman gas condensate field, discovered in 1988 and located in the central part of the Barents Sea, 550 km northeast of Murmansk, remains relevant. The sea depth in the area of ​​the field is 320–340 m. The reserves are estimated at 3.9 trillion m3 of gas and 56.1 million tons of gas condensate.

In total, Gazprom owns 7 licensed areas in the Barents Sea, 3 in the Pechora Sea, 13 in the Kara Sea, 8 in the Gulf of Ob and one area in the East Siberian Sea.

Another Russian company, Rosneft Oil Company, owns 6 licensed areas in the Barents Sea, 8 in the Pechora Sea, 4 in the Kara Sea, 4 in the Laptev Sea, 1 in the East Siberian Sea and 3 in the Chukchi Sea. To fulfill its licensing obligations, the company entered into in 2011 and 2012 strategic cooperation agreements with ExxonMobil, Statoil and Eni, providing, among other things, for the joint implementation of geological exploration and development of hydrocarbon deposits on the Arctic shelf.

In August 2014, Karmorneftegaz, a joint venture between Rosneft and ExxonMobil, discovered the Pobeda oil field with recoverable reserves of 130 million tons of oil and 500 billion m3 of gas. It should be noted that the drilling area is characterized by extremely difficult climatic conditions. Here, for 270–300 days a year, ice cover 1.2–1.6 m thick remains at a temperature in winter of up to minus 46˚С.

In 2014, Rosneft entered into a long-term agreement with the Norwegian North Atlantic Drilling on the use of six offshore drilling rigs until 2022 on the company's offshore projects, including in the Arctic. In order to expand access to the drilling fleet, Rosneft in the same year entered into a framework agreement with Seadrill Limited and North Atlantic Drilling Limited on the exchange of assets and investments.

In the second half of 2014, in connection with Russia's position on the Ukrainian crisis, a number of states (USA, EU countries, Norway, etc.) imposed sectoral sanctions against it. They provide, among other things, a ban on the supply of equipment and technologies, as well as the provision of services for projects carried out by Rosneft and Gazprom (Gazprom Neft) to develop offshore oil resources in the Arctic. In addition, restrictions were set for Russian oil companies and banks to attract financing from foreign financial institutions.

These sanctions restrictions have already led to the virtual suspension of the participation of a number of foreign oil and oilfield services companies, including ExxonMobil, in projects on the Russian Arctic shelf. It should also be noted that the Russian oil and gas sector is currently heavily dependent on the use of equipment and services from countries that have imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation.

Particularly high is the degree of dependence on "western" equipment and services necessary for the implementation of offshore projects in the Arctic, including offshore drilling rigs, pumping and compressor and downhole equipment, equipment for generating electricity, as well as software. At the same time, the replacement of a number of goods with domestic analogues is possible no earlier than 2020–2025. At the same time, the use of equipment and services from third countries, primarily China, increases the risk of accidents due to the lower quality of these products.

Under these conditions, there is a risk that Rosneft and Gazprom will not fulfill their license obligations. In this regard, the companies applied for state support, including in terms of extending license terms.

There is a high degree of dependence on "western" equipment and services necessary for the implementation of offshore projects in the Arctic.

In general, despite the existing difficulties, the development of the Arctic oil and gas resources remains one of the strategic priorities of the Russian Federation, given that the total recoverable reserves of the Arctic shelf are estimated at 106 billion tons of oil equivalent, including gas reserves estimated at 70 trillion m3.

At the same time, the implementation of plans for the development of the Arctic shelf - to bring annual production to 65 million tons of oil and 230 billion m3 of gas by 2030 - may require significant investments (more than $ 1 trillion). Under the current sanctions restrictions in the financial sector, attracting such investments is very problematic.

The use of equipment and services from third countries, primarily China, increases the risk of accidents due to the lower quality of these products.

Today, the continental shelf plays an important role in maintaining the world's oil and gas production. Over the past ten years, more than 2/3 of hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered on the shelf. All the subarctic states have adopted legal acts that fix the strategic importance of the Arctic, primarily in terms of hydrocarbon reserves.

At the same time, the degree of knowledge and development of these resources in the subarctic states remains extremely low. Currently, only a few projects are being implemented on the continental shelf of the United States, Norway and Russia in the Arctic. According to experts, until 2030 the Arctic shelf will be mainly used for exploration and preparation of deposits for subsequent large-scale development.

Among the factors that will influence the ability of the Arctic states and oil and gas companies to develop offshore oil and gas resources in the Arctic, the following can be distinguished.

1. Technology development

Today, oil and gas projects implemented on the Arctic shelf differ significantly from each other in terms of technology, which is due to the different natural and climatic conditions of the regions in which they are located. This leads to the need to develop new technologies and search for appropriate technical solutions for almost every specific project, which increases the implementation time and cost of projects.

2. Development of infrastructure

The number of land infrastructure facilities (repair bases, supply bases and emergency rescue centers) necessary to support offshore operations related to oil and gas activities is extremely limited.

In addition, the capacity and configuration of pipeline systems and ports (terminals) operating in the region limit the ability to deliver new volumes of hydrocarbons to consumers outside the Arctic.

3. Natural and climatic conditions

Low temperatures, pack ice and icebergs are the distinctive features of the natural and climatic conditions of the region. These features in many ways narrow the time possibilities for drilling and other offshore operations, as well as impose additional requirements on equipment and personnel.

4. Environmental safety

Obviously, any anthropogenic activity in the Arctic should have a minimal impact on the Arctic ecosystem without causing significant harm to it. Already today, part of the waters of the Arctic Ocean has the status of protected areas, in which any activity related to the extraction of minerals is prohibited.

The activation of environmental organizations that oppose oil and gas activities in the Arctic can significantly complicate the plans of the subarctic states and companies to implement relevant projects.

It is also necessary to take into account the risks associated with the consequences of possible offshore oil spills. They can lead not only to the bankruptcy of the company responsible for the spill, but also to a halt under pressure from environmental organizations of all offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic.

5. Financial and economic conditions

According to some experts, the profitability of Arctic offshore oil and gas projects, depending on the region, is ensured at an oil price of $40–90 per barrel. The decline in world oil prices, which began in 2014, led to the fact that a number of oil and gas companies announced the suspension of their Arctic projects due to their unprofitability. At the same time, many companies that have already invested heavily in Arctic projects continue to work on them, expecting a favorable price environment in the period after the start of commercial oil production.

An additional financial burden on Arctic projects may be imposed by the tightening of national and international requirements for industrial and environmental safety, in particular the requirements for the availability of equipment for the rapid drilling of relief wells in the event of oil spills.

6. Sanction restrictions

Russia has faced sanctions restrictions from a number of Western countries, including all the Arctic states, on the supply of technologies and services for work on the Arctic shelf. These restrictions seriously hinder its ability to implement projects in the Arctic. In addition, restrictions on access to proven technologies and solutions increase the risk of accidents.

Obviously, each of the above factors carries its own risks of uncertainty. For example, today it is difficult to predict what oil prices will be in the long term, how advanced technologies for offshore oil and gas production in the Arctic will advance, whether, as some scientists predict, the Arctic “ice cap” will melt by 2040.

Considering that it may take 5-10 or more years from the decision to conduct geological exploration to the start of commercial oil production in the Arctic, it is necessary today to start creating economically viable technologies and technical solutions that can ensure safe and efficient oil and gas production, as well as to the construction of related infrastructure. Taking into account the scale of the tasks, it is advisable to build work in this area on the basis of public-private partnership mechanisms.

The Arctic states should also start developing common standards and rules. This will allow oil and gas companies to develop and use uniform equipment and technical solutions in all countries of the region without the need to spend time and money on their adaptation to the requirements and rules of each particular country.

Work in these areas is currently underway, but is mostly fragmented and non-systematic. In this regard, the urgency of strengthening cooperation between the Arctic states and interested oil and gas companies in developing joint approaches to a designated range of issues is increasing.

As a platform for such work, it is advisable to use the proven high-level intergovernmental forum - the Arctic Council.

Since the establishment of the Arctic Council in 1996, international cooperation in the Arctic has strengthened significantly, which is reflected in a number of implemented joint projects. In addition, within the framework of the Council, international agreements were prepared on aviation and sea rescue in the Arctic, preparedness and response to marine oil pollution, as well as a framework plan for the prevention and response to marine oil spills in the region.

The strengthening of international Arctic cooperation has made it possible to ensure a high level of security and a low level of confrontation in the region. However, if the Arctic states fail to avoid the politicization of cooperation in the Arctic in the context of the general geopolitical situation, this will significantly affect the prospects for a coordinated policy and the implementation of joint projects.

The transfer of international tension to the Arctic, together with the preservation of the sanctions policy, will contribute to the consideration by the Russian Federation of the issue of attracting non-regional states, primarily from Asia, to cooperation. Under these conditions, international cooperation in the Arctic region can be seriously reformatted, and the volume of orders from Western manufacturers of equipment for the development of the Arctic shelf will be significantly reduced.

11.06.12 / 20:32

Next year, 2013, should be a year of big changes for Russia on the Arctic front. Now the Coordinating Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use of the Russian Federation is working, which should prepare new documents to determine the outer limit of the continental shelf in the Arctic.

He is leading the project in three areas: refinement of the bottom topography, geophysical profiles, and studies of the evolution of the Arctic, taking into account paleomagnetic and radioisotope dating of rocks. Scientists see their task as follows: to prove that a piece of the bottom, which is also called Arctida, has existed for a long time, at least since the Permian time, and is an integral part of the continent. And, therefore, Russia will retain its leading position in the development of the Arctic.

Clash of the Titans

What is the Arctic space? This is the North Pole and the outskirts of Eurasia and North America. This is the Arctic Ocean and a little of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. What is the Arctic shelf? This is a huge shelf area, passing along the margins of the Kara, Chukchi, Barents, East Siberian and Laptev seas.

The territory of the shelf runs mainly in the Arctic Ocean and along the islands of continental origin.
Now the Arctic shelf for Russia is the most promising area for the development of oil and gas. But we should not forget about the countries whose exclusive economic zones are located in the Arctic. These are the USA, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland.

In the twenties of the last century, the border between the Arctic countries - the USSR, the USA, Canada, Norway and Denmark - was determined very conditionally. The territories where the northern borders of these states passed were assigned to the countries. In those days, the Soviet Union had the longest coastline. This determined the largest sector - about a third of the entire area of ​​the Arctic. Since the exact borders of the Arctic territories were not assigned to the countries, Sweden, Iceland and Finland made claims to the Arctic territories.

India, China, South Korea, Germany, and Japan are currently claiming to develop oil and gas fields in the Arctic. Indeed, according to preliminary data of scientists, the volume of undiscovered oil is approximately 83 billion barrels and natural gas is about 1,550 trillion. m3. let's make a reservation right away: a significant part of unexplored oil fields is located in the Alaska region and belongs to the United States. But solid reserves of natural gas are located within the Russian maritime border. Scientists suggest that drilling will be carried out at a depth of more than 500 meters. In addition, more than 200 promising oil and gas facilities have been identified in the Kara, Pechora and Barents Seas.

Representatives of Denmark, Russia, USA, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland in 1996 signed a declaration establishing the Arctic Council. Members of the Arctic Council are committed to protecting the unique nature of the northern polar zone and ensuring the sustainable development of the circumpolar regions.

At present, the legal regime provided for by the 1982 UN Maritime Convention operates in the Arctic. The document spells out the boundaries of the exclusive economic zone of states, which end at a distance of 200 nautical miles from the coastline. But if the results of geological studies prove that the continental shelf is more than 200 miles, then the distance is increased to 350 nautical miles.

First "pancake"

In 2001, Russia made an attempt to apply to the UN Commission to secure the rights to a section of the shelf, including the Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges. we are talking about clearly and logically proving that the Lomonosov Ridge is a structural continuation of the Siberian continental platform. This area is very rich in hydrocarbons. However, the UN inspectors rejected the application, as little information was provided. The UN asked for additional arguments to make a decision.

Therefore, Russia will have to prove that the Lomonosov and Mendeleev sea ridges are a continuation of the Russian continental shelf. Consequently, the border of the exclusive economic zone will increase and our country will get an area of ​​1.2 million square kilometers, which is rich in energy resources.

In order to argue its right to expand the boundaries of the Arctic continental shelf, in 2013 Russia will submit two types of data to the UN Commission on the Law of the Sea: geological samples of the bedrocks of the ridges and geophysical data based on the results of seismoacoustic profiling.

However, it is expected that Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland will also apply to the UN special commission to expand the boundaries of the Arctic shelf in order to obtain the right to develop oil and gas fields. Experts assess Canada's chances as high, arguing that it is a worthy and strong competitor to Russia.

Offshore work becomes more difficult, but continues

This summer, the diesel-electric icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn will go on reconnaissance work. Initially, it was planned to send the research vessel "Akademik Fedorov" and the nuclear icebreaker FSUE "Rosatomflot" to the state corporation "Rosatom". But it turned out to be expensive. Now "Kapitan Dranitsyn" is being re-equipped to be able to carry out drilling work on the Arctic shelf. It is planned that in tandem with the icebreaker "Kapitan Dranitsyn" another small icebreaker will go, which will be equipped with a seismic streamer 300 meters long. With the help of a spit, a seismic survey of the structure of bottom sediments will be carried out.

Recall that the main customer for exploration work on the Arctic shelf is the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Rosnedra. In February of this year, Sevmorgeo received a license to explore the Mendeleev Ridge in order to collect the necessary material for Russia to submit an application to the UN Commission on the Law of the Sea in order to determine the boundaries of the continental shelf.

The work on the shelf is complicated by the fact that there is a large difference in depths, so drilling of bottom rock material will have to be carried out at a depth of 350 meters to 2.6 thousand meters. The team members will have to find the places where bedrocks come to the bottom surface, and this is not an easy task. It should be noted that the drilling equipment and the methodology used by Sevmorgeo have proven themselves well in operations in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

The expedition starts on July 1st. It will be attended by experts from many industries. 50 days will be allotted for the study period. Another 35 days are allotted for seismic exploration, and 15 days for drilling. If, as a result of the study, scientists discover granite, then this means that the shelf is continental, and if they find basalt, this means that the territory is marine. Whether the researchers will disappoint the Russians or not, we will see, and soon.

It is obvious that the Arctic Ocean is rapidly losing its ice cover and is becoming an attraction for industrialists. the scale of his wealth excites the imagination of oil producers. And this means that Russia will have more and more competitors to prove the fairness of its claims every year.

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Introduction

The degree of depletion of discovered deposits, growing every year, leads to the need to involve new promising territories in the development. In Russia today, the depletion of oil and gas fields has exceeded 50%, while even the maximum development of already explored reserves will not be able to provide the planned level of oil and gas production. Achieving this level is impossible without the development of the Arctic shelf, which contains about 20% of the world's resources and which in the future will become one of the main sources of hydrocarbons for the country.

The tasks set for the oil and gas industry by the energy policies of the Arctic countries are feasible only with an increase in the rate of development of the region, which can be achieved by more intensive geological exploration (GE).

However, the development of the Arctic reserves requires huge investments due to severe hydro and weather conditions and great remoteness from inhabited areas. This fact is the reason for the unprofitability of many Arctic projects based on existing mining technologies. Each Arctic field is unique and requires the development of special technical solutions. In addition, mining companies need favorable conditions from the state, and one of the main factors determining the economic efficiency of Arctic projects is the tax regime.

For the Russian economy, which is so heavily dependent on energy production, the issue of developing the Arctic is very important. Practice shows that some countries are successfully extracting oil and gas in the northern seas. However, in Russia at the moment only one field has been put into commercial operation on the Arctic continental shelf. Therefore, the analysis of approaches to the development of the Arctic shelf of other countries and the study of foreign experience of state stimulation of investments in the development of Arctic resources are now extremely relevant. economic shelf oil field

At the same time, Norway is of the greatest interest, as it successfully develops its economy based on the production of hydrocarbons. In addition, Norway has access to the same Arctic sea as Russia, and is actively engaged in industrial production in it.

The purpose of the work is a comparative analysis of the approaches of countries to the development of oil and gas resources of the Arctic shelf and the identification of opportunities for applying foreign experience in Russia. The object of research is oil and gas fields on the Arctic shelf, and the subject is the process of their development.

Undoubtedly, to date, many works have been written on the activities of the countries of the Arctic Basin, revealing various aspects of the development of the Arctic shelf. In this work, within the framework of the chosen topic, the following tasks are set:

To study the natural and economic conditions for the development of the Arctic shelf in Russia, Norway, the USA and Canada and conduct their comparative analysis;

Assess the economic efficiency of the Arctic project in terms of the Russian and Norwegian tax systems;

Based on the calculations, analyze the approaches of Russia and Norway and assess the possibility of applying the Norwegian experience in Russia.

The economic efficiency of the project will be calculated using the author's model for the development of a conditional oil field in the southern part of the Barents Sea in Russia.

1. Comparative analysis of the natural and economic conditions for the development of the Arctic shelf in Russia, Canada, the USA and Norway

1.1 Resource potential and geological knowledge of the Arctic shelf

The growing degree of development of continental reserves and the need for hydrocarbon raw materials have become the reason for active exploration work in the waters of the World Ocean. The hydrocarbon reserves of the Arctic shelf, in comparison with other regions, are by now practically untouched by mining companies.

The Arctic is considered the part of the shelf, which is located beyond the Arctic Circle, north of 63? 33 "N. The underwater part of the mainland includes internal sea waters, territorial seas and the continental shelf. According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982, that part of the seabed is recognized as the continental shelf which is outside the territorial sea (may extend for a distance not exceeding 350 miles) Within this territory, the coastal country has the exclusive right to exploit natural resources.

To date, the Arctic shelf has been studied rather poorly and unevenly. The resource potential of the subsoil of the Arctic is enormous. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), about 22% of untapped technically recoverable oil and gas resources (412 billion barrels of oil equivalents) are located here, 84% of which are located on the shelf. Among them, about 90 billion barrels of oil and 47.3 trillion. m 3 gas.

Reasons for the Poor Geological Knowledge of the Arctic Continental Shelf

Further development of the Arctic is associated with an increase in the volume of exploration for the study of hydrocarbon resources and preparation for the development of identified oil and gas fields. But exploration, like any business, requires a comparison of results with costs. The Arctic shelf is characterized by very severe natural and climatic conditions, the consequence of which is the high cost of work at all stages and stages of the exploration process. Promising territories are very remote from inhabited areas, which further complicates the development of Arctic deposits. Not every field can justify the increasing costs of investors, which indicates the high risks of this activity. Cost-effective development requires a high degree of exploration of the shelf and huge investments. Therefore, to date, the Arctic shelf is only a potential source of hydrocarbons.

Heavy ice conditions have a great influence on the conduct of geological exploration (many basins are characterized by continuous ice cover). The Arctic is characterized by large icebergs, which are most common in the Barents Sea, strong winds, snowfalls and freezing rain. In most cases, it is ice loads that determine the choice of development concept, the amount of capital investments (type of structure), as well as the amount of operating and transportation costs (the need to control ice conditions, the complexity of the transport and technological system).

Recently, due to global warming, the ice cover of the Arctic has been shrinking. This trend, according to the forecasts of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, will continue until the end of this century. According to Russian politicians, the melting of the Arctic ice opens up more opportunities for the development of oil and gas resources of the Arctic shelf, making it easier to extract hydrocarbons. However, Western experts believe that climate change can cause serious environmental damage and create certain difficulties for mining in the region.

The real prospects for the oil resources of the Arctic shelf can only be assessed after large-scale prospecting has been carried out. Exploratory drilling on the Arctic shelf is characterized by high costs compared to other water areas due to the fact that it requires auxiliary vessels (for ice management, supply, etc.) and the fact that the work itself is only possible during the open water period.

Only 6 countries that have direct access to the Arctic Ocean can claim the hydrocarbon reserves of the Arctic shelf: Norway, Canada, the USA, Russia, Iceland and Denmark with its own island of Greenland. The oil and gas reserves of the first four countries that are the most advanced in the development of the region are distributed as follows (Fig. 1): Russia and the United States account for most of the oil reserves (43.1% and 32.6%, respectively), and gas reserves - for Russia (93.1%).

The Beaufort, Barents, Pechora, Kara, Chukchi, Norwegian, Greenland, East Siberian and Laptev Seas have a continental shelf beyond the Arctic Circle. The first five of them are the most studied by exploratory drilling.

According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) as of October 2009, 61 Arctic fields were discovered: 43 in Russia (35 of them in the West Siberian Basin), 6 in the USA (Alaska), 11 in Canada (Northwest Territories ) and 1 in Norway.

Russia was the first country to find hydrocarbon reserves in the subsoil of the Arctic. It was the Tazovskoye gas field, discovered in 1962. The Russian offshore fields account for more than 60% of the oil and gas resources of the Arctic and more than 90% of its proven reserves (of which more than 90% is gas).

The main sea basins of the Russian part of the Arctic shelf include the Barents, Kara, East Siberian, Chukchi, Pechora and Laptev Seas.

According to the country's energy strategy, the development of oil and gas fields on the shelf of the Russian seas is one of the most promising areas for the development of the raw material base of the oil and gas industry in Russia. About 70% of the area of ​​the entire continental shelf of the Russian Federation falls on the continental shelf of the Arctic zone. The main prospects for oil and gas production are associated precisely with the Arctic seas, which contain the vast majority (about 80%) of the initial total hydrocarbon resources of the entire Russian shelf, while, according to the estimates of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, 84% is gas and less than 13% % - for oil. According to the director of the All-Russian Research Institute of Oceanology, V. D. Kaminsky, the tasks of the energy strategy of Russia cannot be solved without the development of the Arctic shelf. It is worth noting that the current strategy (until 2030) assumes that almost all Arctic offshore gas production in Russia will be provided by the Shtokman field. However, the start of its operation is constantly delayed.

Estimates of the potential of the hydrocarbon resources of the Arctic shelf of the Russian Federation vary quite a lot depending on the source of information. Russian estimates are significantly higher than USGS estimates for all water areas. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation (01.01.2011), the prospective resources of the Arctic shelf amount to 66.6 billion tce. tons, of which oil resources amount to 9 billion tons.

When assessing the oil and gas potential of the Russian Arctic shelf, two components are usually considered: the resources of the Western Arctic sector (Barents, Pechora and Kara Seas) and the resources of the Eastern Arctic sector (Laptev Sea, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas). The seas of the Western Arctic account for the largest part of the resources (62%), while these territories are predominantly gas-bearing (except for the shelf of the Pechora Sea). As for the East Arctic seas, on the contrary, the largest weight in the initial total resources is occupied by oil. The most explored is the Western Arctic (the southern zone of the Barents Sea, the Pechora and Kara Seas).

The Pechora shelf is a continuation of the Timan-Pechora oil and gas province. The most famous field in this region is the Prirazlomnoye field with oil reserves at a depth of 20 m, about 70 million tons. This is the only field on the Arctic continental shelf of the Russian Federation where commercial production has been carried out (since the end of 2013). The license holder is OOO Gazprom Neft Shelf, 100% owned by OAO Gazprom. An offshore ice-resistant platform has been installed at the Prirazlomnoye field for oil production, storage and offloading. It can be used all year round and work autonomously for a long time. The company plans to involve in the development also neighboring fields (for example, Dolginskoye), whose oil will be supplied to the same platform. Such an approach to field development, which implies their joint development, makes it possible to optimize costs and, accordingly, increase the economic efficiency of development.

The East Barents oil and gas province is the most explored region of the Russian Arctic. Almost all proven reserves here are represented by gas and gas condensate fields. In the central zone of the Russian part of the Barents Sea there is one of the world's largest gas condensate fields - Shtokmanovskoye, the area of ​​which is 1400 km2. Gas reserves (in category C1) are estimated at 3.9 trillion. m 3 (while the gas reserves of the entire West Barents province are estimated at about 5 trillion m 3), condensate reserves (in category C1) - 56 million tons. The depth of productive layers is about 1500-2500 m, which creates significant difficulties in the development of the field (it has not yet been put into operation).

According to the results of geological exploration, two more deposits of the same basin, Ludlovskoye and Ledovoye, can be attributed to the most promising areas. In terms of reserves, the Shtokman and Ice deposits are unique, while the Ludlovskoye is large.

The South Kara oil and gas region is a marine extension of the West Siberian oil and gas province. The gas content of this region is proved by two largest gas fields - Leningradsky and Rusanovsky (depth of occurrence - 2200 and 1000-1600 m, respectively). The giant fields of the Yamal Peninsula - Kharasaveyskoye and Bovanenkovskoye and others - are also located here.

At the moment, the significant hydrocarbon potential of the Kara and Barents Seas is more represented by the discovery of gas and gas condensate fields in their southern parts. Nevertheless, the materials of marine geological and geophysical works testify to a wide variety of structural conditions favorable for the accumulation of hydrocarbons in the entire southern rim of the South Barents Basin. Therefore, the study of this territory is one of the most promising areas for discovering oil fields.

Real geological prerequisites for the forecast of a large oil accumulation zone in the north of the Barents-Kara shelf have also been established. But the prospects for the development of deposits that can be discovered here are very complicated by the ice conditions of this region.

Rosneft Oil Company notes the prospects for discovering quite significant reserves of liquid hydrocarbons in the northern part of the South Kara oil and gas region. As a result of the geological study of this basin, Universitetskaya, Tatarinovskaya, Vikulovskaya, Kropotkinsky, Rozhdestvensky, Rozevskaya, Rogozinskaya, Vilkitsky, Matusevich, Vostochno-Anabarskaya and others were identified as promising structures.

The eastern sector of the Russian Arctic shelf also has a high hydrocarbon potential. It is less studied than the western one for several reasons: heavy ice conditions, the impassable Vilkitsky Strait, poor geological and geophysical knowledge of the adjacent land, the remoteness of the main centers of marine exploration, and the underdeveloped infrastructure of the coast of the East Arctic seas. The seismic knowledge of these water areas is extremely low and ranges from only 0.02 km/km 2 in the East Siberian Sea to 0.05 km/km 2 in the Chukchi and Laptev Seas. Natural conditions call into question the technical feasibility of extracting resources. Therefore, the exploration and development of the potential of these areas requires the development of special polar technologies. According to geologists, large areas of the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea are considered the most promising among the East Arctic waters. The official estimate of recoverable hydrocarbon resources in the eastern part of the Russian Arctic shelf is about 12 billion tons of fuel equivalent. t.

The largest part of discovered oil and gas fields is located in the waters of three seas: Barents, Kara, Pechora. In the Barents Sea, two fields have been studied by exploratory drilling and prepared for development: Shtokmanovskoye GCF and Murmanskoye GM; in the Pechora Sea - three fields: Prirazlomnoye NM, Medynskoye-Sea NM and Dolginskoye NM; in the Kara Sea in the Ob-Taz Bay - two deposits: Kamennomysskoe GM and Severo-Kamennomysskoe GM.

According to the data of the draft State program for the exploration of the continental shelf and the development of its mineral resources, developed by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, about 678.7 thousand linear meters have been mined. km of the Arctic seas, of which more than 90% fall on the Western Arctic waters, the density of the seismic grid varies from 0.05 to 5 km / km 2. In the sea areas of the East Arctic seas, only about 65.4 thousand linear meters have been worked out. km of profiles with an average density of less than 0.035 linear meters. km / km 2.

The result of the geological and geophysical study of the oil and gas potential of the water areas is about 1300 identified potential hydrocarbon traps, about 190 prepared for drilling and more than 110 drilled areas, 58 discovered offshore and transit hydrocarbon fields.

The average offshore drilling success rate was 0.48. The maximum value of this indicator was achieved in the Kara and Barents Seas (including the Pechora) and amounted to 1 and 0.52, respectively.

261 offshore parametric, prospecting and exploration wells have been drilled on the Russian shelf, of which 86 wells have been drilled on the shelf of the Western Arctic seas.

LLC NOVATEK-Yurkharovneftegaz, being a subsidiary of OJSC NOVATEK, is currently engaged in offshore production in arctic conditions in the basin of the Taz Bay (the central and eastern part of the Yurkharovskoye field), but the area under development is not the Russian continental shelf. For all the time, about 150 billion m 3 of gas have already been produced here. This field accounts for more than half of Russia's offshore gas production.

Another example of the development of the Arctic region is the Yamal LNG project for the development of the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye gas condensate field with reserves of 1.26 trillion cubic meters. m 3 gas. The controlling stake in the share capital of Yamal LNG belongs to the owner of the license, NOVATEK. But the attraction of foreign partners continues, as of February 1, 2014 they are - the French company "Total" (20%) and the Chinese company "CNPC" (20%). A plant for the production of liquefied natural gas is being built here, and the launch of the first stage is planned for 2016.

Since 2008, the development of the northern fields of the Timan-Pechora oil and gas province has been carried out using the Varandey oil loading terminal, which makes it possible to ship oil for export without interacting with the Transneft system. The operator of the Varandey production and sea transportation project is a joint venture between LUKOIL and ConocoPhillips, LLC Naryanmarneftegaz. The natural conditions of the Yamal Peninsula are harsh and cause difficulties similar to those that may arise in offshore fields in the Arctic shelf.

Possibly, the experience of development of the Arctic fields "land-sea" will speed up the process of industrial exploitation of the Arctic continental shelf in Russia.

If Russia was the first to discover a field in the Arctic, then Canada was the first country to start exploratory drilling there.

The first offshore field beyond the Arctic Circle was discovered in 1974 (Adgo). The oil and gas fields of the Arctic shelf of Canada lie in the waters of the Beaufort Sea (there were 32 of them in 2011, most of which are oil and gas fields). The recoverable hydrocarbon reserves of the Beaufort Sea are located at shallow depths of the sea (up to 100 m), and in some fields reach up to 68.5 million tons of oil and 56 billion m 3 of gas (Amauligak).

Exploration of the Arctic region of Canada was actively carried out in 1970-1980 thanks to good government support. Another incentive for investment in exploration was the high oil prices during that period.

Much of the exploration work was carried out by Panarctic Oils, which is 45% owned by the federal government. It was from this moment that the direct participation of the state in the oil and gas industry began.

Almost all exploratory wells on the Canadian Arctic shelf were drilled before the 1990s. After the government practically stopped investing in exploration, the National Energy Service of Canada became responsible for it, and exploration work ceased. There were quite a lot of promising hydrocarbon reserves on land, the extraction of which required much less cost compared to the Arctic shelf, and could cause less damage to the environment.

Since then, only one well has been drilled on the Arctic shelf (in 2006). To date, the number of exploration licenses has increased, but drilling has not yet resumed. Canada continues seismic exploration of the Arctic shelf. In 2012, an agreement was signed between Statoil and Chevron to conduct 3D seismic surveys in the Beaufort Sea at depths of 800 to 1800 m, 120 km offshore. Shell and BP are planning to develop in the same sea.

For all time, only trial production (at Amauligak) has been carried out at offshore fields in the Arctic region of Canada. The deposits of the islands of the Arctic Archipelago of Canada are also not being developed now (commercial production was carried out only at the Bent-Horn field on Cameron Island, but was discontinued due to adverse environmental conditions).

At the end of 2013, Canada filed an application to expand the boundaries of its shelf to the UN Commission, while it will be supplemented with new materials confirming the ownership of some territories of the Arctic Ocean outside the exclusive economic zone of Canada. The Arctic, according to the Prime Minister of Canada, is now of great importance for the country, and it will not yield to others. According to political statements, Canada still intends to resume its exploration activity in the Arctic and develop the oil and gas resources of the continental shelf.

For more than a quarter of a century, the United States of America has been developing deposits in the Arctic. The first oil here was produced in 1977 at the Prudhoe Bay field, located on the coast of the Arctic Ocean with recoverable reserves of about 25 billion barrels. oil and 700 billion m 3 of gas (it now accounts for about 20% of US oil production). Commercial exploitation of the shelf began in 1987 with the development of the Endicot field and continues to this day. Both projects are operated by the British company BP. By 2011, 9 fields were producing on the American shelf of the Beaufort Sea.

The hydrocarbon shelf reserves of the Arctic in the United States are located in the bowels of two seas: the Beaufort Sea and the Chukchi Sea. The Beaufort Sea is more beneficial for development: it is less deep and is located closer to the existing infrastructure (the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline, built to pump oil produced at Prudhoe Bay). On the shelf of the Chukchi Sea in 1990, the Burger gas field was discovered, one of the largest on the shelf of Alaska. However, commercial production in this sea is expected no earlier than 2022.

In the late 1980s, exploration drilling on the seabed of these seas was carried out by Shell, but then its activities in the exploration of the Arctic shelf were suspended due to high costs in the conditions of low oil prices and great prospects for production in the Gulf of Mexico. But Shell later returned to the Arctic, having received a license in 2005 to explore in the Beaufort Sea and in 2008 in the Chukchi Sea. The Company conducted seismic surveys of its license areas. But drilling of exploratory wells, scheduled for 2012, was postponed. Difficulties in the development of Arctic deposits arose due to the technical unavailability of Shell in the presence of ice and the possible excess of air pollution standards. The company's exploration work on the shelf of the Chukchi Sea has been suspended for the time being.

Exploration of the US Arctic deposits is complicated by strict control by government agencies. Exploration activities can cause serious damage to the environment. Therefore, many areas are now not available for development. To start drilling, companies must obtain permission from the Environmental Protection Agency. They must prove the safety of the equipment used, develop measures to reduce oil leakage and an emergency spill response plan.

According to the drilling plan announced by the US President for 2012-2017, the Alaska continental shelf remains open for development: an auction for the sale of blocks in the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea will be held in 2016 and 2017.

To date, only the coastal waters of the northern seas have been studied by geological exploration, and exploratory drilling has already been carried out in these areas. The US Arctic mining region remains the shallow part of Alaska's North Slope, where mining is carried out either from the shore or from artificial islands (9 deposits). However, Arctic Alaska has a great resource potential. The expected increase in reserves in 2050 compared to 2005 will be 678 million tons of oil and 588 billion m 3 of gas in the Beaufort Sea, 1301 million tons of oil and 1400 billion m 3 of gas in the Chukchi Sea.

A large number of promising oil and gas reserves of these seas are concentrated on the outer continental shelf (outside the 3-mile zone), production on which has been allowed by the US authorities since 2008 and is carried out only at one field - Northstar, located in the Beaufort Sea 6 miles from the coast of Alaska. Northstar's operator, BP, plans to start production soon at another offshore field in this sea, located at the same distance from the coast as Northstar - Liberty (development and production plan will be provided to BOEM by the end of 2014) .

Norway

The shelf of the Barents Sea has recently been actively explored by Norway. More than 80 thousand km2 have been studied by 3D seismic. The hydrocarbon reserves of its Arctic zone, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), are estimated at 1.9 billion barrels. n. e., while only 15% is oil.

At the moment, the only Norwegian field on the continental shelf of the Arctic, where industrial production is carried out, is the gas-bearing Snohvit, discovered in 1981-1984. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (as of April 2013), recoverable gas reserves at Snohvit are estimated at 176.7 billion m 3 and condensate at 22.6 million m 3 . The operator is the national company Statoil with a 33.5% stake in the license. The Direct State Participation (SDFI) share in Snohvit, expressed by the share of "Petoro", is 30%, the rest is accounted for by private Norwegian partners.

The Snohvit mining system is completely submerged and operated from shore. The gas is supplied to a natural gas liquefaction plant built in the city of Hammerfest. Part of the carbon dioxide released during the development of Snohvit is sent to injection wells for further gas production, and part is pumped into underground storage. Despite the existing CO 2 capture and storage system, accidents still occur.

In 2014, Norway plans to start production at another field on the Arctic continental shelf, the Goliat oil field, which was discovered in 2000 and has 192 million barrels of recoverable reserves. n. e. In 2013, the start of the project was already delayed due to problems with the construction of the platform. The produced oil will be stored and shipped directly to the sea. Goliat is operated by the private company Eni Norge with a 65% share, the rest is owned by the state-owned Statoil.

By 2012, a consortium of Statoil, Eni and Petoro had discovered the Skrugard and Havis fields north of Snohvit. Their reserves, according to Statoil, amount to 70 million tons of oil equivalent. e. Drilling of Statoil exploration wells in the Hoop area in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea, so far the northernmost area where such work is underway, was scheduled for 2013, but was delayed until 2014. The Hoop areas have already been studied by 3D seismic surveys conducted by the by TGS-NOPEC.

Norway intends to continue exploring the Arctic shelf, including areas with more severe environmental conditions. The recent decline in production rates observed in the country makes it necessary to continue exploring the Arctic in search of profitable hydrocarbon reserves.

To date, Norway has carried out exploration of the recently annexed territories in the Barents Sea: hydrocarbon resources, according to the NPD report, are estimated at 1.9 billion barrels. (about 15% is oil). It is possible that further exploration of the shelf will increase the size of their undiscovered reserves. A 3D seismic survey is planned for 2014 in promising areas, following which the result of the 23rd licensing round in Norway will be announced.

To date, the Arctic remains the least explored region with offshore hydrocarbon reserves. The Arctic shelf, with a huge amount of undiscovered oil and gas reserves, attracts a lot of attention in conditions of limited resources and depletion of fields located on land or offshore in more favorable conditions. However, the interest of mining companies may not be so great in the presence of profitable reserves in traditional areas.

Seismic surveys have well studied the Beaufort (USA and Canadian shelf), Chukchi (USA shelf), Barents, Pechora, Kara seas (profile density - 1 linear km/km 2 and more). The Arctic water areas of Russia remain little explored: the Russian part of the Chukchi Sea, the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea (the density of profiles is 0.05 linear km/km 2 or less).

At the moment, commercial production at offshore Arctic fields is carried out only in the United States, Norway and Russia. In the United States, deposits are being developed in the coastal zone of Alaska. On the Arctic continental shelf (outside 12 miles from the coast), Norway (Snohvit project) and Russia (Prirazlomnoye) produce oil and gas.

The Russian continental shelf has the greatest resource potential in the Arctic. However, it has been less studied than in the northern waters of other countries. The Barents Sea in Russia has been studied 20 times less than in Norway, and the Chukchi Sea - 10 times less than in the USA.

Further in this chapter, we will consider the technological aspect of the development of deposits on the Arctic shelf and the system of state regulation of this activity, which are the main reasons for the slow development of the Arctic.

1.2 Technological aspect of the development of the Arctic shelf

To date, the industrial development of the Arctic continental shelf is just beginning. However, there is a good world experience in geological study.

Exploration drilling in the Arctic often uses the same rigs as in other regions (for example, only one in four rigs operating offshore Alaska is unique and designed to operate in ice conditions). Exploratory drilling with jack-up drilling rigs is the least expensive, but their use is limited to sea depths of up to 100 m. At greater depths, semi-submersible drilling rigs, which are highly stable on the water, can be used. For deeper areas (up to 3500 m), drilling vessels are used that can move independently. However, the daily rent of the latter type is the highest. In addition to renting drilling rigs, a significant cost item for exploratory drilling in the Arctic waters is the maintenance of auxiliary vessels (for ice management, supply, spill response during accidents, etc.).

Technological solutions for the implementation of Arctic offshore projects should take into account all the features of work in harsh natural conditions. These features include sub-zero temperatures, strong underwater currents, the presence of permafrost under water, the risks of damage to equipment by pack ice and icebergs, remoteness from infrastructure and sales markets, risks of environmental damage and industrial safety problems. Severe arctic conditions bring to the fore the problem of technical feasibility of the project. The profitability of the project itself largely depends on its technical sophistication.

Canada has extensive experience in exploratory drilling on the Arctic shelf. The first was the technology of artificial islands, which were located in shallow water. However, their construction turned out to be quite expensive. Drilling ships were used during the open water period. Later, a higher ice-class rig was built - a floating drilling rig (Kulluk), which can operate even in autumn, at depths of up to 100 m. Then, the technology of coffered drilling platforms began to be used, which allows drilling all year round. The drilling platforms Glomar and Molikpaq have been reconstructed and are now used for production at the fields as part of the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 projects. In 1997, the only gravity-based platform in the world (Hibernia) was built in Canada. It can withstand a collision with an iceberg weighing up to 6 million tons.

Technological aspect of the development of the Arctic continental shelf in Norway

Norway has experience in implementing an Arctic project based entirely on a subsea production system that is controlled from shore. The Snohvit project has the world's longest system-to-shore connection (the central field is approximately 140 km offshore). The technology to control multiphase flow at such a distance is a technical advance that opens up new opportunities for subsea production. Another new technology is the re-injection of associated carbon dioxide, which is separated from the produced gas, into the reservoir under water. Remote control is carried out using a single umbilical - a critical element of the entire system. In addition to redundant communication systems, there is the possibility of satellite control from a special vessel. Subsea Christmas trees, which are equipped with wells, have large diameter valves, which reduces pressure loss. The pressure required for gas production is created directly in the subsea fittings.

As part of the first phase of the project development (Snohvit and Albatross fields), 10 wells (9 production and 1 injection) are being used. Later, 9 more wells will be put into operation. The supporting bases of the fields are connected to the central base, from where gas is supplied to the shore through a single pipeline. After CO 2 separation, the gas is liquefied at the LNG plant, the northernmost in the world (71°N).

Snohvit technology is applicable to other projects as well. However, the extreme remoteness of the fields from the coast (mainly, these are gas production projects) can become a serious limitation. According to experts, there is already a technical solution to reduce the response time of underwater equipment when managing projects over long distances (for example, the use of special accumulators under water in wells), so there should not be any difficulties with the hydraulic system. The communication system is developing every year at an ever faster pace and should not become an obstacle to the use of technology. Transatlantic distances have already proven the ability of Snohvit's fiber optic technology to deliver high data rates. The umbilical system can cause problems: the economic feasibility of using such a system and its technical feasibility are questionable. Snohvit's main umbilical length (144.3 m) is a world record. For even longer distances, it is possible to manufacture the umbilical in parts and assemble it into one only at the time of installation. Serious difficulties can arise with the transmission of electricity: providing alternating current with a standard voltage frequency (50 Hz) is highly dependent on distance. One solution to this issue is to use low AC frequencies over long distances, but this method also has its limitations. It is applicable to the operation of traditional underwater systems. However, there are equipments that require a megawatt level of power supply that cannot be supplied by the low frequency method. For example, these are underwater compressors that are effective at large distances from the coast. They compensate for pressure loss when extracting gas from the reservoir. The solution to the problem may be the technology of using direct current of high voltage, which is currently used only on land. The Snohvit project opened up great prospects for the further development of the subsea oil and gas industry. This requires a lot of research developments that will open up the possibility of offshore production in extremely difficult Arctic conditions.

The Goliat project will also be implemented using a mining system located completely under water. The produced oil will be shipped offshore from a floating platform without additional onshore facilities.

The technology of subsea production is still little tested and the capital costs for its application are quite high. But it has a number of advantages: the possibility of gradually putting fields into development, which allows hydrocarbon production to start earlier, the ability to service a large number of wells (this is important when several structures are being developed simultaneously), and the ability to reduce the impact of harsh environmental conditions. The subsea production system can be used in arctic seas that are protected from the formation of pack ice. In the Russian part of the Barents Sea, conditions are much harsher. The Norwegian experience can be applied in Russia, most likely for deposits in the Taz and Ob bays.

The experience of developing the bowels of the Arctic by other countries overturns the idea of ​​the oil industry as an "oil needle" that hinders the innovative development of the country. In fact, we are talking about the development of the most advanced, "space" technologies. And for Russia, as the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D.O. Rogozin, the development of the Arctic can and should become a catalyst for the modernization of the oil and gas industry, which is now in so much need of technical re-equipment.

Technological Aspect of the Development of the Arctic Continental Shelf in Russia

The development of the Prirazlomnoye field is carried out using an offshore ice-resistant platform that provides drilling of wells, production, preparation, shipment and storage of oil. The stationary platform is able to work autonomously, is resistant to ice loads, so it can be used all year round. In addition, it can receive oil from neighboring fields, which will significantly reduce the cost of their industrial development.

The development of the Shtokman field is planned with the help of an underwater production system and ship-type platforms, which can be withdrawn in case of approaching icebergs. Produced gas and gas condensate will be delivered via subsea main pipelines as a two-phase flow with subsequent onshore separation. The Shtokman project also includes the construction of an LNG plant.

For offshore fields that cannot be developed from the shore, there are several methods of development that are fundamentally different from each other:

· artificial islands (at sea depth up to 15 m);

· underwater production complexes from the shore (with a relatively close location of the field to the shore);

· underwater mining complexes from floating platforms (in the absence of pack ice);

fixed platforms.

There is a successful experience of working from stationary gravity platforms at shallow depths in the presence of massive pack ice. This technology is applicable at shallow depths up to 100 m, since with increasing depth, the capital costs of such a structure and the risk of collision with an iceberg increase very much. At greater depths in clear water conditions, it is more expedient to use floating platforms. Stationary platforms are mainly used for oil fields in the Arctic. An example is the Prirazlomnoye field, and there is also a high probability of using this type for the University structure.

Drilling from a platform does not always cover the entire field, some of its parts may be located at great depths with pack ice. In this case, the connection of underwater wells is required, with an increase in the number of which the cost of drilling and the timing of their implementation increase. But this method is much more economical than installing an additional platform. The economic efficiency of such a technological solution is still lower compared to drilling from a fixed platform due to increased costs and drilling time. This method of development can be applied to some structures of the Vostochno-Prinovozemelsky blocks (Kara Sea) and to the Dolginskoye field (Pechora Sea) during the clean water period.

At depths of more than 100 m and at small distances from the coast or the place of possible installation of a fixed platform, it is possible to use a technical approach when all wells are underwater and connected to the platform by a pipeline. This approach can be applied to the deposits of the Kara Sea at depths of more than 100 m, for example, for the Vikulovskaya structure of the Vostochno-Prinovozemelsky-1 area.

At great depths and distances in clear water conditions, it is possible to use a floating platform with underwater wells. This development concept is characterized by high operating costs. It requires rather large expenses for the year-round maintenance of ships to regulate and monitor the ice situation.

Norwegian experience shows that the use of a floating platform in iceberg water conditions is quite competitive from an economic point of view compared to the installation of a gravity-type platform.

Transportation of hydrocarbons from offshore oil and gas fields can be carried out both through a system of oil and gas pipelines, designed to meet the internal needs of Russia and for export to other countries, and along the Northern Sea Route, which opens access to the markets of the west (USA and Western Europe) and the east - (USA and Asia-Pacific). Produced natural gas can be shipped as a liquefied natural gas (LNG) on tankers, making it easier to transport when exporting to remote regions.

In the development of the Arctic shelf, the existing infrastructure of coastal territories is of great importance, and in the first place, the pipeline system.

The concept of developing Arctic fields, and hence the profitability of the projects themselves, is largely determined by the geographical location, ice load and sea depth. Russia is characterized by extremely severe natural and climatic conditions (presence of pack ice). Norway, for example, is characterized by more favorable conditions for the development of the Barents Sea, protected by the warm Gulf Stream.

So, on the basis of world experience, we can conclude that the technologies for developing the shelf already exist, but there is still no universal technical solution. Each Arctic project is individual and requires a special technological approach. Actually, this remark is also true for projects on land. Professor V.D. Lysenko notes: “All deposits are different; especially different, one might say unexpectedly different, gigantic fields... The troubles of individual giant fields began with the fact that when designing the development, standard solutions were applied and their essential features were not taken into account.

The main problem of the development of the Arctic is the very high cost of applying the technical solutions available at the moment. High costs determine the economic inefficiency of the development of many Arctic fields.

A significant part of Russia's oil and gas reserves is located in the extremely harsh natural and climatic conditions of the Arctic, which require new technologies to operate. Therefore, the development of offshore fields in the Arctic requires further development of technologies that will make complex Arctic projects profitable.

The development of the Arctic shelf is a powerful driver of the technological development of the oil and gas sector in any of the countries under consideration.

1.3 State regulation of the development of the Arctic shelf

State regulation of the development of the Arctic shelf consists in the formation of a system for providing hydrocarbon resources for use by oil and gas companies and a system for taxing activities for their production.

Comparative analysis of systems for providing resources for use by companies in Russia, Norway, Canada and the USA

In states with a federal structure, issues related to determining the rights to the shelf of different levels of government began to be resolved only when a reliable technology for offshore production appeared (in the middle of the 20th century). To date, the degree of their solution varies by country. Thus, the tribes living in the Niger Delta still do not agree to share the wealth of the shelf with the central government of Nigeria. And in Russia in the 1990s. the possibility of dividing powers in relation to the shelf between the regions and Moscow was seriously discussed. And the successful experience of developing the US Gulf of Mexico shelf suggests that "regionalization" can be useful.

The continental shelf of Russia is under federal jurisdiction, its subsoil is owned by the state and provided for use by the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use.

According to Decree of the Russian Federation No. 4 dated January 8, 2009, licenses for the use of subsoil located on the Russian continental shelf, including in the Arctic region, are issued without a tender or auction based on a decision of the Government of the Russian Federation.

In accordance with the adopted amendments to the Law of the Russian Federation "On Subsoil", only companies with a state participation of more than 50% (a share in the authorized capital of more than 50% and (or) an order of more than 50% of the votes attributable to voting shares).

Another important condition for companies to enter is the requirement for five years of experience on the continental shelf of the Russian Federation. At the same time, it is not clear from the law whether the experience of the parent company extends to the subsidiary and vice versa.

According to the law, only two companies can be admitted to the Russian continental shelf - OAO Gazprom and OAO NK Rosneft. In the summer of 2013, as an exception, the right to access to the development of the Russian Arctic was received by another company - OAO Zarubezhneft, which had not had it before, despite 100% state ownership and more than 25 years of experience in the Vietnamese shelf (joint venture "Vietsovpetro"). The reason for the permission to work on the shelf was Zarubezhneft's ownership of a subsidiary (100% of shares minus one) - Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka, which is state-owned and has been operating on the shelf for more than 5 years and, thus, meets all legal requirements. Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka was certified by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation for the development of the Arctic shelf. The areas claimed by Zarubezhneft in the Arctic are Pechora and Kolokolmorsky in the Pechora Sea.

Recently, the issue of liberalizing access to Arctic resources for private companies has been very actively discussed.

So far, the only way to participate in production on the Arctic continental shelf is to create a joint venture with state-owned companies, which remain the owners of licenses. However, this option of total state control is not attractive to private companies.

Back in 2010, the heads of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Energy raised the issue of the need to “demonopolize” the development and development of the Russian shelf. In 2012, the Ministry of Natural Resources came up with a proposal to make exploration a separate type of use of the subsoil of the continental shelf, to issue licenses to private companies to conduct exploration work without a tender, provided that in the event of a large field discovery, Gazprom and Rosneft would have an option to enter project with 50% plus one share. It was also proposed to guarantee private companies participation in the development of offshore fields, which they would discover themselves.

The main argument of supporters of the admission of private capital to the continental shelf of the Arctic is the advancement in the development of oil and gas resources in this region, the acceleration of the protracted process. The participation of more companies will contribute to the diversification of the risks that Gazprom and Rosneft are now taking on. In addition, the liberalization of access to the subsoil of the Arctic shelf will have not only an economic, but also a social effect (jobs, an increase in the general standard of living of residents of the northern regions, and the development of local infrastructure).

At the moment, this issue remains only a subject of discussion, no legislative acts allowing private companies to acquire licenses for the development of the Arctic shelf have yet been adopted.

To date, most of the explored oil and gas reserves of the Arctic shelf of Russia have already been distributed between the two companies. As practice shows, Gazprom and Rosneft are developing inactively. In addition, due to the lack of their capabilities, they attract foreign partners.

Industrial operation has recently been started only by Gazprom at the Prirazlomnoye field. Initially, its development was supposed to be joint efforts of Rosneft and Gazprom, but in 2005 the block of shares of the former was sold.

Back in 2010, Rosneft received licenses to study such areas of the Arctic shelf as Vostochno-Prinovozemelsky - 1, 2, 3 in the Kara Sea and Yuzhno-Russky in the Pechora Sea.

Rosneft carried out geological and geophysical work at the Yuzhno-Russkoye block, as a result of which geological risks and hydrocarbon resources were assessed. The company has identified priority prospecting areas within which prospective objects will be explored in the coming years.

Rosneft's strategic partner in the development of three Vostochno-Prinovozemelsky blocks has become the American company ExxonMobil, whose share in the project is 33.3% in accordance with an agreement signed in autumn 2011. Large promising structures have already been identified in these areas, but the study of the geological structure will continue until 2016, and the first exploratory well will be drilled only in 2015.

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