Russia’s natural gas giant Gazprom has shut down several gas-producing wells during the recent spring floods in the Orenburg region in order to prevent the wells from being flooded, according to statements from the local Gazprom unit.
The Orenburg region, located in southwestern Russia near the Ural River, experienced significant flooding early this month, described as the worst in the area in 80 years.
In response, Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg, the local unit, took measures to prevent flooding of operating wells by shutting down over a dozen of them.
According to OilPrice.com, the oil and gas field in Orenburg is a significant producer, pumping about 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 300,000 tons of oil and gas condensate annually.
Despite the challenges posed by the floods, Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg stated that it had been actively monitoring production facilities from the air.
Three of its 11 integrated gas treatment units are located in the flood zone. However, a helicopter inspection revealed that no damages or oil and gas leakages had occurred at the producing facilities.
The impact of the floods extended beyond Gazprom, as one refinery near Orenburg was shut down due to a compromised dam, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people.
The dam breach reportedly affected parts of the city of Orsk and raised concerns about rising water levels in the Ural River, threatening Orenburg and other areas along the river’s course in southwestern Russia and Kazakhstan.
Authorities have been monitoring the situation closely as floods persist along the length of the Ural River, which ultimately drains into the Caspian Sea.
