Gas monetization without pipes

The article considers the problems and ways of efficient utilization of associated petroleum gas. The geological causes of excess production of associated petroleum gas at the developed fields of the Nepa-Botuobinskaya anteclise in the southwest of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) are designated. The inexpediency of utilizing associated petroleum gas by generating electricity is noted due to the excess of the latter in the region. The infrastructural, technological and fiscal factors contributing to the flaring of associated petroleum gas are listed. Based on the territorial location of the developed fields, the Talakanskaya, Botuobinskaya and Mirninskaya oil production locations are identified. The reserves of dissolved gas and gas cap gas for the developed oil fields are presented as a percentage of the total reserves of the developed fields. It is concluded that the Botuobinskaya oil production location with excess production of associated petroleum gas is the one with the best gas reserves. For the efficient utilization of associated petroleum gas, it is proposed to organize a large gas (energy) consumer in the form of data processing centers (DPC) with fiber-optic communication lines (FOCL) to Northern China on the territory of the Botuobinskaya oil production location. Aggregated calculations show a favorable difference (more than 50 times) in the cost of laying a FOCL line relative to the construction of a gas pipeline with a similar length. It is concluded that the remoteness of the territory, the availability of a cheap energy source and a free cold climate will determine the advantage in all the main processes of energy consumption of the DPC. To level out the costs associated with construction in hard-to-reach areas, it is proposed to apply tax breaks to construction projects for the utilization of associated petroleum gas.

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