Russian production looks to technology for growth

Expanding the use of enhanced oil recovery methods could offset output declines

The contamination of the Druzhba pipeline with organic chlorides in April 2019—which became the most serious interruption of supplies in the history of Russian oil trade—had a profound impact on the country’s export volumes. But despite deliveries only fully resuming on 1 July, crude oil exports to Europe for the first eight months of 2019 exceeded those during the same period of 2018. It was a different story for petroleum product exports. These totalled 2.8mn bl/d for the first eight months of 2019, 10pc less than in 2018. The main reasons for this decline were an increase in export duties on heavy oil products and slowing European demand. As of the end of 2018, 11.16mn bl/d of oil and gas