Gazprom Neft Launches Russia’s First Ever Integrated Field Development Centre

Gazprom Neft has opened an Integrated Field Development Centre (IFDC) in Tyumen — the establishment of a single integrated organisational and digital space allowing the company to halve lead-times in launching major production projects and moving to “first oil”. The integrated field development centre will also deliver significant cost reductions in surface infrastructure development at new assets, while increasing accuracy in planning, and improving speed and quality in investment decision making.

The official opening of the IFDC took place on 24 October, attended by Alexander Dyukov, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board, Gazprom Neft, and Alexander Moor, Governor of the Tyumen Oblast.

The key objective of the new entity is to ensure effective field development and operation at all stages, as well as ensuring integrated and cohesive oversight in implementing major projects at Gazprom Neft’s main production centres. This experience will be rolled out across all company assets, in the future.

The Centre’s activities are based on using modern digital tools in working with large databases (“Big Data”), integrated modelling and integrated information analytics.

The Centre comprises three units:* a regional project management centre, a drilling control centre, and a production management centre, the functionality of each of which corresponds to the main stages in major oil and gas project lifecycles. All stages in field development — from preparations for production of first oil, through to completion of asset exploitation — will be monitored from a single platform. The centre will take over the management of all production processes, as well as providing round-the-clock geological and engineering support in the drilling of high-tech wells.

Alexander Dyukov, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board, Gazprom Neft, commented: “Digital transformation today is one of strategic priorities. The use of artificial intelligence and Big Data analysis technologies is making it possible to successfully perform complex production tasks, and make informed investment decisions. On which basis, we not only achieve high performance in efficiency, but are also creating the basis for the company’s further development, and that of the industry as a whole. A business model for managing production projects — and one new to the industry — is being used at our centre, and cross-functional teams are being put in place: all of which is helping improve professional skills and competencies, and allowing unique specialists to come to the fore.”

Alexander Moor, Governor of the Tyumen Oblast, gave his views: “Integrated and cohesive information systems are now used in education, healthcare, social welfare, housing and communal services, and the transport sector.

Serious steps in digitalisation are also being made by the oil industry’s flagship organisations. In actively using digital technologies in their operations, companies are not only making significant savings, but are also eliminating the risks associated with human error. Introducing modern technologies, cutting production costs, and digitalisation are the key tasks facing Russia’s oil and gas industry today.”