Infrastructure targets for oil and gas
Gazprom Neft plans to launch the full infrastructure complex at the Ignyalinskoye field in 2026. Chief executive Alexander Dyukov set out the timetable at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Sep 5, 2024. The gas portion of the Chona project is scheduled to start at the end of 2026.
The gas project covers the Vakunaisky and Tympuchikansky areas, with recoverable gas reserves exceeding 110 billion cubic meters. Two multi-well pads are being drilled. At Ignyalinskoye, four wells have been drilled since development began in 2023, with about 100 production wells planned by 2027.
Early production before the permanent facilities
Gazprom Neft announced further Chona-cluster development in March 2024. The development spans the border between Irkutsk Region and the Sakha Republic in Russia. Its three license areas sit near the Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean oil pipeline and the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, despite their remoteness from major cities and logistics centers.
A multilateral well with a fishbone layout began operating at Ignyalinskoye in 2023, while previously drilled wells were brought back into service. Mobile well-development equipment supported early production. Crude traveled by road to the neighboring Chayanda oil-treatment facility before shipment toward the Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean pipeline.
Exploration decisions in Eastern Siberia
Exploration director Yuri Masalkin described a shift toward less-studied Eastern Siberian prospects in December 2023. He identified Chona and Omorinsky as projects in that portfolio. Pipeline access, proximity to Asia-Pacific markets and new approaches to developing the company's eastern assets were among the factors he associated with the change.
Masalkin said the Chona wells had exceeded the company's geological expectations, helping it make project decisions sooner. He also identified faster production cycles and better decisions as exploration priorities. More than ten in-house digital tools were in daily use for collecting and processing geological information, he said.
Facilities and drilling plans
Construction and installation had begun on some Ignyalinskoye facilities, including the transfer point. The planned complex includes:
- Oil treatment, gas treatment and condensate stabilization facilities.
- A transfer point and oil-and-gas transport system.
Early production at Ignyalinskoye had exceeded a cumulative 130,000 tonnes by March 2024, counting output since 2023. The company's March drilling program envisaged two high-technology oil wells at Ignyalinskoye and six gas-condensate wells across Vakunaisky and Tympuchikansky. Those figures describe the announced program, while the September update sets the later infrastructure timetable.
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