The first civilizations arose in the Interfluve of the Tigris and Euphrates, and as archaeological research has shown, humanity already learned to extract and use oil. About 6 thousand years ago, oil and formations from it were used in the construction of the magnificent walls and temples of Ancient Babylon, and on the shores of the Indus, an important mineral was used to heat homes. But let’s go back today and look at the largest oil fields in the world, as well as find out where the largest oil field in Russia is located.
1
Al Gawar. Saudi Arabia
The Middle East is famous for its large deposits of various minerals, and within the limits of Saudi Arabia, the largest oil and gas field on the planet has been developed for many years. Experts estimate the oil reserves of this super-giant field at about 12.7 billion tons.
The “Arab Suite” called by locals was discovered and started to be explored in 1948, and after 3 years, valuable hydrocarbon minerals were extracted from the bowels of the Earth.
2
Big Burgan. Kuwait
The complex of oil fields in Kuwait, subsequently combined into one, was opened in 1936, and in 1938 a powerful 18-meter oil fountain began to beat from a drilled well.
Today, according to the estimates of various companies, it contains 75% of all Kuwaiti oil and 5% of all explored fields on the planet at the present stage of development of the industry. The Gulf War, which began in 1990, halted production, and many wells were destroyed. After the war, the field was partially restored and oil production was resumed.
3
Bolivar Costal. Venezuela
From the region of the Middle East we go to the shores of the most beautiful lake Maracaibo, where the wells of a large oil field with the romantic name "Bolivar Costal" are located.
It was discovered in 1917, and in 1922 the first barrels of oil began to be pumped from the first exploration well. Since 2005, annually oil production at the Venezuelan oil field has fluctuated around 120 million tons, which provides Venezuela with a leading place among countries that produce oil.
4
Upper Zakum. UAE
The huge gas and oil complex in the Emirates “Upper Zakum” was investigated in 1967 and is now the largest in this Middle Eastern country.
Four leading companies are engaged in new development and production, and in addition to national ones, part of the shares in the richest field belong to the Japanese “Japan Oil Development Co”, as well as the famous company “ExxonMobil”.
5
Samotlor. Russia
The largest oil deposits in Russia were discovered as a result of reconnaissance expeditions in 1965. It was then that a powerful fountain began to beat from the Samotlorskoye well, and it was decided to begin integrated production.
Every year, the extraction of much-needed minerals only increased, and in the early 80s of the last century a billionth ton was mined. Many then felt that the field had exhausted itself, but new technologies allowed to expand and increase production.
Russia is among the world leaders in oil production, because only in Udmurtia production is carried out at 115 fields.
6
North / South Pars. Iran Qatar
Two Middle Eastern states share a super-giant oil and gas field on the shores of the Red Sea. The Shell company began oil production on the Iran-Qatari border in 1971.
The North Field and South Pars act as independent deposits of different ages, and are clearly separated by a tectonic fault. Various global companies are engaged in development, and for convenience, the industrial town of Ras Laffan was specially built nearby.
7
Kashagan. Kazakhstan
Perhaps, all the elements of the periodic table are concentrated in the bowels of Kazakhstan, and the largest oil field is located within the Caspian Depression, on the seashore.
It has become one of the largest in the world, opened over a settlement of 30 years, and annual oil production is from 8 to 10 million tons. It is noteworthy that in difficult conditions, production is carried out by creating artificial islands. This technology can reduce losses, and most importantly, environmentally friendly.
8
Daqing. China
In 1959, between the rivers of the Chinese rivers Sungari and Nunjiang, an oil field was discovered, which today ranks first in this Asian country in terms of production.
Studies have shown that oil-bearing strata formed in the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods, and in the future, if necessary, production can be further increased. Now about 45 million tons are mined annually from the bowels of the Daqing deposit.
9
Safania-Khafji. Kuwait Saudi Arabia
In 1951, the authorities of Saudi Arabia and neighboring Kuwait made a decision, and began developing the Safania-Khafji field. Oil volumes by specialists and development companies are estimated at 5.6 billion tons. In the 1960s, highly qualified specialists from all over the world came here, and the use of new technologies allowed to increase volumes.
The oil layers lie very deep, which increases costs, but large volumes of production more than compensate for the funds spent on mineral exploration and technology for the extraction of fossil fuels from great depths.
10
Gechsaran. Iran
The Islamic state has long been among the leaders in oil production, and a large gas and oil field in Iran was discovered back in 1928.
Due to the deep occurrence, mining operations began only in 1940, and today about 710 thousand barrels of the most valuable energy fossil rise to the surface of the Earth annually. It is noteworthy that a state-owned company with a small share of private capital is engaged in mining.
11
Rumaila. Iraq
After the military operation of the coalition forces in the early 1990s, Rumaila was partially destroyed, which led to a significant reduction in production. In the first decade of the 21st century, large investments were allocated for the resumption of production.
A giant oil field was discovered at the end of the 1950s, and by 2011 it had increased production equal to 75 million tons per year. And this, despite the fact that many wells from the time of the war in the early 1990s remain mothballed.
12
Cantarel. Mexico
In the beautiful Campeche Bay off the coast of Mexico in 1981, the exploitation of the Cantarell oil field began. Thanks to new technologies, namely the drilling of new wells, the production of a mineral so important for the country's economy, it was possible to increase almost 2.5 times in 7 years.
The only problem for companies producing oil in the Gulf of Mexico is environmental organizations, which claim that the flora and fauna of the gulf suffer from production. But the use of the latest technology minimizes the processes of oil getting into the waters of the bay.
13
Romashkinskoe. Russia
Not far from the city of Bugulma, in Tatarstan, during the years of World War II, oil production began. They knew about the field for a long time, but the need for fuel for the Soviet army accelerated the start of work.
Today, this large field produces approximately 17 million tons of oil annually, and is considered the largest in the republic. Interestingly, it was this field that became the testing ground for the development and testing of new oil production technologies.
14
Prado Bay. USA
Pradho Bay, located in Alaska in terms of reserves, takes only 19th place among the largest deposits, but it is the largest in North America. US oil production is one of the main sectors of the economy, and strategic oil reserves are stored in four underground oil storage facilities.
Under the difficult conditions of the Alaska Peninsula, work to extract oil from the bowels of the Earth began in 1968, and now, with a volume of 12.7 million tons per year, it is the leader in production on the North American continent.
15
East Messoyakhskoye. Russia
Small, but unique in that it is the northernmost oil field operating on our planet. Oil began to be extracted here quite recently, in 2016, although the field was discovered during reconnaissance expeditions in the early 80s of the last century.
Developments for decades after the discovery were not carried out, but now Russian specialists are equipped with the latest technologies with which it is possible to produce oil in the difficult conditions of the Arctic. The new field opens up great prospects for the further development of the bowels of the North Pole.
As you can see, the largest oil fields are located in different parts of the world, and the oil-bearing basins presented in the review give more than 90% of all oil produced on the planet.
Oil, as we all know, has been one of the most important minerals since school days, and mankind has been wondering more and more over the past decades how much its reserves will be. Recent studies of this problem suggest that with such a level of consumption of oil products, reserves of already developed fields will last for 55-60 years. In the meantime, as TheBiggest.ru already wrote, in the list of the largest companies in the world, many are closely related to the extraction of this useful resource and its processing.
Article author: Valery Skiba