Belarusian drillers achieve record output at Venezuelan oil well

GOMEL, 4 August (BelTA) – A new oil well drilled by the Belarusian-Venezuelan company Petrolera BeloVenesolana in the west of Venezuela produces 3,300 barrels of oil a day (450 tonnes). The output is dozens of times higher than that of other oil wells operated by Belarusian specialists, representatives of the Belarusian company Belorusneft told BelTA. The source believes the high output indicates a new promising oil deposit although the area has been exploited for nearly 100 years. Meanwhile, the average daily output of other wells operated by the Belarusian-Venezuelan joint venture stands at 85 barrels (12 tonnes). Specialists of the two countries had done seismological follow-up exploration, preparations, drilling, wellhead completion and location construction. In the near future a second borehole will be drilled in the area. The capacity of the new oil deposit is being estimated now. The joint venture Petrolera BeloVenesolana was set up in December 2007, with Belarus’ share at 40%. At present the joint venture employs 40 Belarusian specialists, who rely on technological expertise, physical infrastructure and scientific support of the Belarusian company Belorusneft. Belarusian and Venezuelan specialists work together at seven oil assets and six gas ones. The joint venture plans to beef up the output to 1.2 million tonnes of oil and over 800 million cubic meters of gas by the end of the year. In addition, Belarusian specialists carry out major overhauls of oil wells, provide other services to develop existing deposits and increase oil production. The joint venture’s department for new technologies and innovations is busy assimilating the technologies that Belorusneft’s research and design institute had developed. Meanwhile, the Belarusian-Venezuelan seismic survey company Sismica BeloVenesolana is busy with seismic surveys in the Orinoco River basin.

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