Speaker says drilling in Russian Arctic is solution for energy crisis

By Kate Foss

Collegian Reporter

Yury P. Ampilov, the leader of a research institute for Russian energy behemoth GAZPROM, and an advocate for drilling in the Arctic to solve the world's energy crisis, spoke at the University of Richmond Oct. 8.

Ampilov, who works out of Moscow, is head of the laboratory geological and geophysical modeling for VNIIGAZ, the research institute for GAZPROM, the largest natural gas extractor in the world. He spoke about the modern prospecting of oil in the Russian Arctic, adding detail about the different methods scientist use, both on land and in the ocean, while trying to locate possible sites for oil wells.

One of those methods is seismic acquisition, which allows geographic researchers to examine density and give recommendations about where to drill wells. Ampilov said that selecting locations for wells is a time-consuming and important process. And for good reason: The cost of one well is more than $100 billion, he said.

Ampilov's work focuses on pinpointing sources of oil and gas in Russia and the Russian Arctic. In showing the different locations in Russia where natural resources and oil have been discovered, Ampilov was careful to emphasize that the majority of the oil is in the Arctic Ocean -- specifically in the Barents-Kara sea region.

Ampilov and others he's worked with have called for increased drilling in the region as a solution for the energy crisis, his scholarly articles show.

He did not speak about the energy crisis during his presentation, but he concluded by asserting that in his travels and research, he had realized the earth was smaller than most people believe. It is through those materials which are a part of all our lives, such as oil, that we are able to share common experience, he said.

Contact reporter Kate Foss at katie.foss@richmond.edu