Aleksei KONTOROVICH Director Institute of Petroleum Geology Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Siences Academician When we discuss the problem of developing resources of Eastern Siberia and the Far East, the key issue is that of the raw material base. At the same time, it is absolutely obvious that loud statements about availability of abundant oil and gas resources cannot improve the situation with reserve replacement unless they are accompanied by a policy of extensive geological exploration activities. This is one thing. Another thing is that, unfortunately, the transport infrastructure here is still extremely underdeveloped. A systemic approach is required to address this problem. Why explore resources when they are not going to be developed? For instance, a draft program for development of gas resources in Eastern Siberia, which is being considered стр. 18 today, does not envisage starting development of Yakutia fields before the year 2030. The question therefore is, why should business start making resources available when the State intends commencing their development only in a quarter of a century? It was Academician Arkhangelsky who first said back in 1929 that Eastern Siberia may be rich in oil and gas. The first Stalin Prize for ancient oil in the Siberian Platform was awarded to Vassily Mikhailovich Sinyakov even before the war. Yet it was only after the war that the true development of this region started. The first discovery, Markovskoye field, was made in 1960. It was followed by a lengthy period of failures. And it was not until the well-known resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers passed in 1979 that extensive exploration was launched in this region, resulting in discovery of over 30 oil and gas fields. Unfortunately, since 1991, all these activities have been stalled, and no new discoveries have been made. Speaking of the known fields, the Yurubcheno-Tokhomskoye field is a really interesting one, hold ... Читать далее