Fuel and Energy Complex
The fuel and energy complex of the Republic provides extraction, transportation, storage, production and distribution of energy carriers of all types: gas, oil and its derivatives, solid fuels, electrical and heat energy.
Belarus has its own small oil reserves. The proven fields are located on the territory of the Pripyat Depression the area of which amounts nearly to 30 thous. sq. km. The initial recoverable oil reserves are estimated at 355.6 mln. tons, less than half of them are used in industry. 2007 saw 44 deposits mined.
Due to the use of an advanced technique to develop oil deposits - lateral drilling and lateral horizontal trunk drilling – Belarusian oil-industry workers manage to maintain the volume of oil extraction at the level of 1.8 mln.t/y. Moreover, the experience of Belarusian experts is in demand abroad.
The Belarusian experts are involved in a joint Belarus-Venezuela enterprise conducting seismic exploration “SeismoVenBel” based in Venezuela. 2007 saw both parties establish a joint venture to extract oil in Venezuela. Monetary contributions of “Belorusneft” in statutory fund to create a joint-stock-company together with the Venezuela party are determined at the rate of 200 thous. USD.
Belarus’s petroleum refining industry presented by “Naftan” JSC (Novopolotsk), “Mozyr Oil Refinery” JSC (Mozyr) manufactured its products to the amount of Br7.3 trln. in January-June of 2008. Production capacity of the two refineries makes 22 mln. tons, oil refining depth – 70-75%. The enterprises manufacture tens of products types with gasoline, diesel fuel, furnace oil, lubricating oil, and petroleum bitumen being the main ones. An extensive pipeline network which pumps oil, natural gas, gasoline and diesel fuel passes along the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
In Belarus, oil transportation services are performed by “Gomeltransneft “Druzhba” and Novopolotsk-based oil transportation company “Druzhba”. Measured in single line terms, the pipelines are 1,923 km and 1,065 km long. The Druzhba oil pipeline is a major transit corridor used to transport Russian oil and is a continuation of the system of trunk oil pipelines of Russian company Transneft.
“Beltransgaz” distributes and transports natural gas across Belarus. The company uses around 7 thousand km of gas pipelines varying in diameter between 100 and 1,400 mm. The company also services the Belarusian section of the transcontinental gas pipeline Yamal-Europe owned by Russian OAO Gazprom. In 2008 the work on extending gas supply networks was completed. Now natural gas is supplied to all 118 regional centers of the country.
An important part in ensuring of reliability of gas transportation system belongs to underground gas storages which adjust seasonal unevenness of gas consumption and perform stability of gas deliveries in conditions of off-normal situations. Currently, the Republic has two gas storages - Osipovicheskoe and Pribugskoe gas storages with total volume of gas stored being nearly 700 mln. cubic meters. The activity to create the Mozyr underground gas storage is being carried out.
The Belarusian peat industry extracts peat for fuel, agriculture, chemical processing, and manufactures peat bricks.
The Belarusian energy system features 34 heat power plants of the installed capacity of 7,700MW, several small power plants and hydroelectric power stations.
Belarus has enough power and heating generation installations to meet the home demand, but due to the insufficient domestic fuel resources is forced to import natural gas, oil and coal, which makes the national economy dependable on external suppliers and vulnerable to energy price fluctuations.
Creating conditions for the functioning and development of the national economy using fuel, energy and raw material resources as effectively as possible is a major priority of Belarus’ economic and energy policies along with securing stable supplies of energy resources. Saving and frugality are becoming key factors for progressive social and economic development of the Belarusian state.
A draft concept outlining the energy security of the Republic of Belarus up to 2020 was developed in 2007. It is a comprehensive document meant to ensure the national energy security, resulting in economic, political and manufacturing security. A long-term fuel and energy budget (up to 2020), which will be used to shape further plans for social, economic and innovative development of the republic as well as various governmental programmes is a key novelty of the document. In 2010 energy intensity of Belarus’ GDP is supposed to shrink by at least 31% in comparison with 2005, in 2020 – by 60%.
Belarus has given the go-ahead for preparatory work to launch a project on building a nuclear plant. Specialists are carrying out necessary research based on data received from analogous facilities located in Russia, France, USA and other countries.
