OREANDA-NEWS. June 25, 2014. The delegation of the Federal Agency for Mineral Resources headed by Valery Pak, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation - Head of the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use, came to JSC TATNEFT on a two-day working visit.

The visit included meetings with the management of the Company, during which the attendees discussed the results and plans of TATNEFT in crude oil production and refining.

The delegation visited TatNIPIneft Research and Design Institute of TATNEFT, which is one of the largest research centers of the oil industry, where they got acquainted with the activities of the laboratory for Ashalchinskoye extra-viscous oil field cores study. The visit program included a meeting on organization of the testing site for search and exploration of unconventional hydrocarbons in the Republic of Tatarstan. The participants discussed issues related to implementation of the program for the study of unconventional hydrocarbon deposits in Tatarstan; experience in the Oil and Gas Production Companies involved in crude oil production from unconventional rocks and fine-tuning of techniques and technologies in this area and etc.

Valery Pak noted that the conventional oil reserves are depleting progressively. And in this regard the state support of oil companies engaged in recovery of hard-to-recover oil reserves should be strengthened through tax preferences and differentiated approach to taxation. To this effect the geological and technological conditions of oil production should be taken into account.
The event participants also visited Ashalchinskoye extra-viscous oil (EVO) field being developed by NGDU "Nurlatneft". The managers of the Federal Agency got acquainted with the conditions of extra-viscous oil production, technical measures and engineering solutions to create new capacities for production, treatment and transportation of EVO.

Visiting the sites of the Nizhnekamsk sector of the JSC TATNEFT's industrial activities began with Nizhnekamsk SSC Tire Factory, where the delegation was familiarized with the solid steel cord tires production process. All the production processes at the new enterprise are automated and performed with minimum human involvement. The visit participants were told about advantages of the SSC design tires and were demonstrated specifics of production and labor organization at the factory.

The delegation headed by of the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use Leader also visited the "TANECO" Refining and Petrochemical Plants Complex, in which construction the most advanced environmental technologies were applied. During the visit the delegation visited the Central Control Room of the Complex, from where the process control and full control over the production is performed. Further on they got acquainted with the treatment facilities, flare facilities, loading racks, i.e. the facilities which operation may directly affect the state of the environment. The guests received exhaustive information about the technologies and equipment, which really guarantee environmental friendliness of NPiNHZ Complex. At the end of the visit to the "TANECO" Complex the event participants proceeded to the territory of the combined hydrocracking unit where commercial production of ecologically clean Euro-5 standard diesel fuel had started in March.

After visiting the Refining and Petrochemical Plants Complex in Nizhnekamsk Valery Pak pointed out that the subject of refining is relevant for the whole country: "It is deep refining that we see as the way of further development of the industry and TATNEFT with its "TANECO" Complex is on the right line".

The discussion of the topical issues of geological exploration, crude oil production and subsurface resources management initiated during the working visit is scheduled to continue in the course of future joint work.