Along with the People’s Minister of Petroleum and President of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), Eulogio Del Pino, and the CEO of the Russian state oil company Rosneft, Igor Sechin, The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro talked about the signature of four cooperation agreements that will enhance oil and gas production in our country.
President Maduro said that the signature of these agreements reflects the importance of relationships between Venezuela and the so-called Eurasian giant: “With President Vladimir Putin, Russia has become a peace power, a positive reference worldwide. This agreements’ signature is the best present we could give to Commander Hugo Chavez in his birthday. The idea is to keep promoting the Energy, Oil production and Petrochemical drivers of the Economy. We must be grateful to life because in 2000 Commander Hugo Chavez and then Russian President Putin strengthened these geopolitical and fraternal bonds. These current agreements ratify the joint path traced by the Independent Venezuela and the New Russia”.
Minister Del Pino said that “the signature of these agreements establishes a strategic alliance that engages joint planning elements to those projects we have undertaken. It involves an investment of 20 billion dollars in 5 joint ventures that currently produce 170,000 barrels of crude oil per day, equivalent to 9 million tons per year, with the potential of increasing to one million barrels of crude oil per day. One of the joint ventures will produce drilling rigs. We are talking about an alliance between two of the most important national oil companies in the world”.
The CEO of the Russian oil company Rosneft Igor Sechin said that, in Russia as well as in Venezuela, “the birth of Commander Hugo Chavez is celebrated with the signature of these new agreements that are the core of our future cooperation for offshore gas production, to train Venezuelan professionals abroad, to stimulate the production in the petrochemical field and to produce drilling rigs. Electric power generation was included in these agreements, too.
Agreements for energy development
As a part of this event, a gas feasibility service agreement was signed between Rosneft and PDVSA for the evaluation of Patao, Rio Caribe and Mejillones Blocks to supply gas to the Venezuelan market, as well as to export to Trinidad & Tobago and other international markets.
Minister Del Pino said that “we are talking about the beginning of a joint exploration agreement in one of the giant gas fields we have in the sea, Mariscal Sucre project, at Patao and Mejillones fields to produce 600 million of gas cubic feet per day. These are two gas fields close to Dragon field, which will soon start operations”.
A second agreement of joint exploration was held to evaluate gas fields required to supply the Ana Maria Campos Petrochemical Complex, located in Zulia state. “We are considering the possibility of association for supplying gas that this Complex requires as raw material to producing ethanol and other derivatives”, he pointed out.
Another large-scale agreement of strategic interest for our oil industry is to keep strengthening the Educational and Training Plan for the workers of the New PDVSA, as in the case of those 15 Venezuelan students who are doing postgraduate studies at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, in Moscow.
“Those students already completed their first year and they will to start their second academic period. In addition, we will sign an agreement for 10 workers of Rosneft-PDVSA joint ventures to visit Russia as part of an exchange program to meet up close the oil operations at the Arctic Ocean and Siberia, and learn those procedures in order to implement them in our country”, said Minister Del Pino.
The agreement also provides for Russian workers to apply for internships in Venezuela. It is an exchange program that helps to deepen the cultural relationship and the coordination between both oil companies.
Del Pino said that they are supporting the drilling rigs joint venture Perforosven. “This is proof of sovereignty, independence in our decisions and strength as Russia is standing by us with such important projects like these. This is an integral alliance with no other partner of this kind”, he said.
The heads of PDVSA and Rosneft met in Moscow at the beginning of 2016, later at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, and finally in Venezuela. They expect to hold a new meeting before the end of 2016.
This agreements’ signature coincided with the birthday of the Supreme Commander Hugo Chavez, who had a close relationship with the Russian Federation. This bond will be sealed with the gift of a Chavez “Eternal Giant” sculpture, to be placed at Sabaneta, Barinas state. Also, a Sport Training Center and a Day Care Center will be opened.
PetroVictoria, the lastest joint venture created between Rosneft and PDVSA, was named after the October 7th 2012 victory of Commander Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution, when he was ratified as the President of Venezuela with 55% of the vote.
About PDVSA
Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., the state-owned corporation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is responsible for the efficient, profitable, and dependable exploration, production, refining, transport and commerce of hydrocarbons. This company is deeply committed to environmental protection and its main objectives are to foster the harmonic development of the country, to guarantee sovereignty of national resources, to increase endogenous development and to serve and benefit the Venezuelan people, who correspond to their share of the country’s national wealth.
About Rosneft
Rosneft is the leader of Russia’s petroleum industry and the world’s largest public oil and gas
company by liquid hydrocarbon production and reserves. The Company’s core operations are in hydrocarbon exploration and appraisal, production of oil, gas and gas condensate, offshore developments, refining, marketing of oil, gas and oil products inside and outside Russia, and investment activity.
Rosneft’s exploration and production geography spans across all key oil and gas provinces in Russia, namely Western Siberia, Southern and Central Russia, Timano-Pechora, Eastern Siberia and the Far East. The Company also implements projects in Kazakhstan, Algeria, Venezuela, Brazil, Vietnam, the UAE, Canada, and in the Gulf of Mexico. Offshore projects, including in the Arctic, take a special place in Rosneft’s portfolio. Rosneft has joined forces with ExxonMobil, Eni and Statoil to develop Russia’s offshore resources.