Norilskgazprom (part of the Nornickel Group) has drilled and commissioned five new production wells at the Pelyatka gas condensate field. This is the first large-scale project at Taimyr's key gas asset in the past 10 years, designed to meet the growing needs of the company's Norilsk operations as well as the social infrastructure of Norilsk and Dudinka.
The Pelyatka field, located 170 km northwest of Dudinka, is the main source of gas for the Norilsk Industrial District, supplying 80% of all "blue fuel" output in Taimyr. Bringing the new wells online increased the field's operating well stock from 41 to 46 units. The additional total production capacity amounted to 2 million cubic meters of gas per day.
Evgeny Fedorov, First Vice President - Chief Operating Officer of Nornickel, commented: "We managed to complete this project on time and within the targeted parameters in terms of confirmed production volumes. The five new wells will let us supply the gas volumes needed both for growing metallurgical production capacity and for new mining development projects, including the construction of the third production line at the Talnakh Concentrator. We will also be able to guarantee gas supply to the social infrastructure of Norilsk and Dudinka - this is one of our key priorities."
The design of the new wells accounts for the field's complex geological structure. The total drilling length of all five wells exceeded 15 kilometers. Two of them, with horizontal well completions, have horizontal sections longer than 600 meters - a record for the Pelyatka field, enabling maximum gas inflow rates.
The wells were drilled using a Russian-made 1,200-ton wheel-mounted rig, comparable in height to a 20-story building. It moved along guide rails, like a train, from well to well fully assembled with drill pipes.
Norilskgazprom drilled the first three wells in 2024, and the remaining two in the first half of 2025. In 2026, all five wells were connected to the field's existing infrastructure: piping was installed, pipe racks and service platforms were built, and pipelines were laid to the tie-in point on the existing gas gathering line. The company's investment in the project totaled 10 billion rubles.