SUBSURFACE MANAGEMENT AND REPLENISHMENT OF THE HYDROCARBON RESOURCE BASE AS CRUCIAL STATE PRIORITIES IN THE CURRENT STAGE OF NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Replenishing the national oil and gas resource base has historically been a paramount state priority. Owing to this governmental focus on subsurface exploration, a major fuel and energy complex was established within a remarkably short period. For several decades, the West Siberian oil and gas province has remained the largest region in terms of hydrocarbon reserves and resources. To date, the Tyumen Region, including its autonomous okrugs, has produced 14.3 Gt of oil, representing 52.4% of the national total of 27.6 Gt. Natural gas production from the region has amounted to 23.2 tcm, or 84.1% of the country’s total output of 27.6 tcm. The discovery and development of Western Siberia’s hydrocarbon potential stand as a testament to the successful execution of a large-scale scientific, industrial, and socioeconomic endeavor. Currently, the mature fields of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug–Yugra and the Nadym-Pur-Tazovsky region, which for decades underpinned the bulk of national oil and gas production, are exhibiting declining production trends. In the current context, a transition toward a state-oriented mineral resource policy, predicated on a long-term strategy for subsurface exploration, is essential. The governance framework for the oil and gas sector should be legally anchored in a state entity endowed with the requisite operational and executive functions.