The domestic hydraulic fracturing fleet, which was supposed to start production in 2024, is now promised to be launched in 2025.
A hydraulic fracturing fleet is equipment that helps extract hydrocarbons, especially from hard-to-reach places. It creates cracks in the ground that help fluid flow faster into wells. There are currently about 150 such fleets operating in Russia, but they are all of foreign manufacture. In the context of sanctions, it is difficult to acquire new equipment.
Domestic hydraulic fracturing equipment has been developed since 2021 in collaboration with the MIT Corporation, Gazprom, and Gazprom Neft. The complex includes various installations for pumps, mixtures, chemical additives, and fluid heating, as well as control systems and a field laboratory. Field tests began at the end of 2024.
Due to sanctions and the deteriorating geopolitical situation, Russian oil companies have lost access to Western technologies. Therefore, since 2024, Gazprom Neft has begun using domestic hydraulic fracturing equipment at its facilities.