High North News

Russia announces new Arctic oil discovery

Trine Jonassen
russia oil gazprom arctic yamal peninsula yamalo-nenets

Russian energy major Gazprom Neft has discovered a new oil field on the Yamal Peninsula that is the largest discovered in the region in three decades, according to a company release.

The new find is located in the Arctic zone of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, home to the world's largest natural gas reserves but also a region with significant oil potential. Drilling and exploration are challenging as the peninsula is almost entirely covered by permafrost.

The field is part of a large oil and gas cluster in the southern part of the peninsula, according to the company. It was discovered after three years of exploration. Estimated geological reserves are 55 million tons, the company's press release stated.

Related content

  • Denmark provides F-35 fighter jets to NATO s Arctic Sentry

    Trine Jonassen

    NATO has launched the mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic, part of an effort to defuse tensions within the alliance prompted by the U.S. president's push to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

    "Our F-35 contribution strengthens the overall presence in the region and underscores Denmark's role as an active ally in the Arctic and North Atlantic," Denmarks minister of defense, Trouls Lund Poulsen said in a statement.

    Poulsen also expects the United States to contribute to the NATO mission, he told reporters ahead of the Munich Security Conference.

  • Russian researcher accused of treason

    Linn Ophaug

    The Russian researcher Alexey Dudarev was arrested on January 14th in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is accused of treason and could face life in prison.

    Dudarev works as a senior researcher at the Northwestern Scientific Center for Hygiene and Public Health in St. Petersburg. He has published extensive research in both Russian and international journals for several years.

    According to First Department, a group of independent Russian human rights lawyers in exile, the indictment is based on Dudarev’s open publications in international journals under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), of which he was a co-author. The programme is part of the Arctic Council, in which Russia also participates.

    Investigators claim that information from these articles could be useful for Norwegian intelligence. Dudarev denies the charges, and his family says he has never had access to state secrets.

Powered by Labrador CMS