Rosneft et ExxonMobil commencent leur premier forage en Arctique en mer de Kara.
Avec une plate forme de forage spécialement étudié pour la glace.
et ceci malgré les sanctions US envers la Russie.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/busin ... 545013.htmRosneft, ExxonMobil start oil drilling in Russia's Arctic
English.news.cn 2014-08-10
MOSCOW, Aug. 9 (Xinhua)
Joint Drilling started Saturday in Russia's northernmost offshore exploration well, marking an important step for the country in its efforts to test the potential of the unexplored Arctic Ocean.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the start signal through a teleconference for the drilling of the 700-million-dollar oil well in the East Prinovozemelsky field in the Kara Sea.
The drilling is one of the joint development projects of four sea shelf deposits off Siberian northern shores between Russian state oil company Rosneft and U.S. oil and gas giant ExxonMobil.
Putin said this is another important step in the development of the Arctic's promising deposits, calling Exxon Russia's long- standing and reliable partner.
"We value our relations. I am convinced that Rosneft's joint projects with Exxon and other companies would benefit our national economies and help strengthen a global energy situation, develop breakthrough technologies, and create new jobs," he said.
The drilling will continue until the end of October before the ice period starts, according to the Interfax news agency. The West Alpha rig has been especially equipped with an innovative ice control and ice defense system for drilling in harsh climate conditions.
Putin said that businessmen should be guided by pragmatism and common sense, "despite difficulties in current political trends." He praised Exxon's move as "truly responsible and businesslike," and stressed that Russia is open to cooperation expansion with partners.
The two giants have been cooperating at the Arctic oil sites since 2011, as well as the joint development of an oil deposit in the Black Sea. In June 2012, Rosneft also struck a deal with Exxon on the joint project of a tight oil deposit in Western Siberia.
As Washington imposed new sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis last week, Rosneft chairman Alexander Nekipelov expressed hope that the cooperation between Rosneft and Exxon would not be affected.
Rosneft was added to a list of Russian companies under U.S. sanctions on July 16.
La plate forme West Alpha est celle ci :

construite en 1986.
appartiendrait à North Atlantic Drilling Ltd.

http://www.barselekter.com/en/west-alpha/
et c'est Poutine qui a donné le top départ du forage.
http://eng.kremlin.ru/news/22792Vladimir Putin gave the signal via video linkup to start exploratory drilling operations at the West Alpha rig (Universitetskaya-1site) in the Kara Sea. This project is being jointly implemented by Rosneft and ExxonMobil.
voici la retranscription traduite de Poutine :
article dans Libération:PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN:
Good afternoon, friends. I am very pleased to see all of you.
We are about to take another major step in the development of promising oil and gas fields in the Arctic. The West Alpha rig is ready to begin drilling an exploratory well on the Kara Sea shelf. This is a great achievement.
I know that the project being launched is unique in many ways. It will use the latest technology. A large number of geological surveys have already been carried out, and special environmental protection measures are in place. I know that Rosneft and all of its partners, including ExxonMobil, attach special significance and pay great attention to this aspect, especially in this part of the world with its sensitive ecology.
As I have already said, all this great work was made possible by uniting the efforts of Rosneft and our US partner, ExxonMobil. Practice shows that it is nearly impossible, or at least very difficult, to implement alone such large high-tech projects, projects of global scale and significance. Today commercial success is determined by effective international cooperation.
Businesses, including large companies, both Russian and foreign, are well aware of that. In spite of the difficult current political situation, pragmatism and common sense still have the upper hand, and that is very gratifying. In our opinion, this is a truly responsible, business-like approach, and only such an approach can be productive. We certainly welcome this position and, in turn, are open to expanding our cooperation with partners.
Once again, I stress, ExxonMobil is our old, reliable partner, and we greatly value our relationship. I am convinced that joint projects between Rosneft and ExxonMobil, as well as other companies, will benefit our national economy, contribute to improving the global energy situation and will undoubtedly lead to the development of breakthrough technologies and job creation.
Finally, I want to sincerely thank all those involved in developing the rich resources of the Arctic shelf, everyone working to develop new oil fields in the area. I know that a great deal of work still lies ahead for you. I am confident that you will cope with it, as always, at the highest professional level.
I want to wish you every success.
http://www.liberation.fr/economie/2014/ ... in_1078116Pétrole: Poutine lance un projet d’exploration russo-américain
09 Aout 2014
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Le président russe Vladimir Poutine lors d'une vidéoconférence donnée depuis Sotchi sur le forage de pétrole dans l'océan Arctique, le 9 août 2014 (Photo Alexeï Droujinine. AFP)
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La mer de Kara pourrait abriter jusqu’à 100 milliards de barils de pétrole, selon le patron de Rosneft Igor Setchine, mais la Russie a besoin des technologies occidentales pour pouvoir exploiter ces gisements.