In the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the “Komandirshor” oil treatment facility, with a capacity of more than 800,000 tonnes per year, has come online. This has allowed LUKOIL to move from trial operation to full-scale production at three deposits. At the same time, a long-standing transportation problem has been solved: oil now flows through a pipeline instead of being hauled by tanker trucks over winter roads.
The Komandirshor group is located within the Laysky Val structure of the Timan-Pechora province. It includes the Komandirshorskoye, North Komandirshorskoye, and West Komandirshorskoye deposits, along with the Simbeisky and North Mishvansky license areas. Initial recoverable reserves at the three deposits are estimated at 11 million tonnes of oil. The deposits lie at a depth of about 3.6 kilometers.
The crude here is high quality but presents two challenges: a high gas factor and elevated hydrogen sulfide content. This required specialized treatment technology. The new facility not only brings the oil up to marketable condition but also utilizes associated gas and produces granulated sulfur.
The switch to a pipeline system was a key infrastructure decision. Construction of the facility and the oil pipeline to the tie-in point on the trunk line from the Kharyaga central processing facility to Yuzhno-Shapkino began in December 2023. Oil now flows steadily to Kharyaga, and from there to the Varandey offshore loading terminal.
The associated gas treatment system is built on Russian technology. Gas from the field is sent to a facility operated by Usinskneftegaz, where the combined capacity of the booster compressor stations reaches 600 million cubic meters per year. This fits into the program for the efficient use of associated petroleum gas (APG).
Statistics confirm the progress. In the first half of 2026, APG flaring in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug decreased by 4.5%, to 95.4 million cubic meters. Useful utilization rose by 1.3%, and APG extraction reached 782.1 million cubic meters, 5.5% higher than the previous year’s level.
The launch of Komandirshor represents not only increased production but also a boost for neighboring sites — primarily the Simbeisko-Mishvansky group, which will gain momentum for development thanks to the infrastructure already in place.
Source: LUKOIL
Image: LUKOIL
