Russian companies gear up to break the ice on the Bazhenov.

摘要

Sources say tiiat Russian producers may be on die verge of replicating the US shale oil boom, a hope mat is largely pinned on the Bazhenov shale formation in the West Siberian Basin. Estimates of the formation's recoverable reserves have ranged as high 100B bbl of oil—five times the volumes estimated to be contained in Nordi Dakota's Bakken—and Moscow is hoping that die resource can be used to interrupt an anticipated decline in conventional oil production. According to LUKoil VP Leonid Fedun, "In 20 years, the Bazhenov might be Russia's main source of oil—even bigger than die Arctic oceans." Certainly there seems to be no denying that die resource is vast; according to CEO Tom Reed of Ruspetro, the Bazhenov "is bigger than the 10 to 15 next biggest shale plays combined".