October 16, 2009

The Okrug Governor’s press-service informs:

Today Khanty-Mansiysk hosted the meeting of the workshop "Oil and gas complex" of the Coordination Council for small and middle business development of the RF Ministry of Energy. Representatives of the Finances Ministry, deputies of the State Duma, independent oil companies also participated in the meeting.

Addressing to the participants Governor, Chairman of the Government of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug Alexander Filipenko - one of the initiators of the draft law about small and middle business in oil-producing industry - said that the problem was extremely important and of current interest not just for Ugra but for Russia. For the first time the reduction of oil production was noted. The reason are consequences of the world financial crisis and unsatisfactory work in development of new fields. "Supporting the policy of new oil and gas provinces formation in Sakhalin, East Siberia, Pechora, north of Yamal I cannot agree that fields of Ugra are excluded from the list of receivers of the governmental support. They are complicated and they were left. Now their time has come".

In opinion of the region’s head, 200 fields of Ugra which are under development require a new approach because of complication of their development. The potential of small and middle business should be used with maximal profit - in the USA and Canada it gives 40 5 of total oil production. Russian small and middle companies should have a legal access to subsoils and to interest vertically-integrated companies in cooperation with them. For the last two years small and middle companies put into operation 35 fields and big money was paid to the budget of the country and region.

Deputy Minister of Power Engineering of the Russian Federation Sergei Kudryashov made an analysis in detail of the situation of the so-called independent companies in oil production. By various criteria 89-130 companies can be referred to small and middle companies with total output  - 2 million  tons of oil. The Ministry is going to give a definition of small and middle enterprises in the federal law on oil.

His colleague - Deputy Minister of the Finances of the RF Sergei Shatalov positively assessed the activities of the Coordination Council.

Is a separate law about small and middle companies in oil production needed or a separate block of the law on oil will be devoted to their activities? First deputy chairman of the Energy committee of the RF State Duma Leonid Simanovski, Director General of the association of independent producers, member of the presidium of the All-Russia organization of small and middle business "Opora Rossiya" Elena Korzun and Natalia Tolstykh, Director General of the Center of Law Problems of the Northern Territories participated in the discussion. 

Director General of the JSC "Nefteconsortium" from Tatarstan Fanis Valiev told as the support by the Republican Government positively influenced the development of small and middle companies in oil sector. For 11 years they have produced almost 250 million tons of oil, launched 4 000 new oil wells, paid over 150 billion rubles of taxes and employed 8 000 people.

The importance of the draft law was obvious. Chairperson of the Committee for natural resources of the RF State Duma Natalia Komarova promised her support. But the exact date - when the law is adopted - is unknown. Alexander Filipenko said: "Doubts are a sign of intellect but everything has boundaries. The decision should be made whenever. I showed my message to the President of the Russian Federation, dated of August 2004. There are two options: to solve all problems in one law or to separate the strategy and tactics having made necessary decisions. We should understand that the law should be adopted. It can be criticized, discussed or something new can be proposed but we should move forward".

Finishing the discussion Sergei Kudryashov said that it was time to determine priorities and dates.