Alexander SpielmanL Production of shale oil in Yugra reached 700 thousand tons in 2013

Alexander Vladimirovich, there are a lot of talks about so-called shale gas revolution now. There are as supporters, as active opponents of this idea. What is the position of the Center of rational subsoil use on this issue?
- We once did an assessment of oil resources in the Bazhenov and Abalak groups – there are about three billion tons of recoverable oil resources in them, and perhaps, this figure will be increased. We have multibillion resources. But the problem is the fact that this is dense and low permeability rock, and special technology are necessary for the development of such deposits. In the first place, horizontal wells with multi-stage fracturing (hydraulic fracturing) are used. This technology is widely used in America, at such fields as the Bakken, Eagle Ford and many others. Not only gas, but also oil is extracted there. Fracturing techniques are not very supported in European countries, for example, they are prohibited by law in France. This is mainly connected with the environment. It was decided in France that the environmental damage is higher than the income from such oil. Thus, opponents of this technique appeared. In addition, it’s necessary to clean the extracted mixture and to convert it into normal oil on surface.