It is a pie-in-the-sky good thing to buy the Somotrol oil field, which has the largest reserves and the highest production in the Soviet Union, but why did the Soviet government sell the Samotrol oil field in such a hurry, what is the hidden meaning in this?
Seryosha had to inquire clearly before making a decision.
So Seryosha asked Chernomyrdin the question in his heart, why the Samotrol oil field has declined so much, it stands to reason that such a large oil field is enough to rank among the top ten in the world, and it will not lose to the Saudi Arabian Ghawar oil field at all.
But now, in less than 30 years, he has become an outcast in the hands of the Soviet government.
What has happened in the past 30 years, is it that the estimated production of that year is wrong, and the local officials exaggerate the reserves of the oil fields?
"Seryosha, there is no problem with the reserves of the Samotrol field, there is still a large amount of oil stored underground waiting to be exploited, and we have obtained less than one percent of the reserves of the entire Samotrol field.
In the Brezhnev era, in order to pursue production and obtain more oil export earnings, we adopted unscientific exploitation methods, because too much groundwater was injected, which destroyed the original geological structure of the Samotallol oilfield, resulting in the fracture of the formation, and the injected water preferentially entered the underground rock crevices, the water content of the oil field increased, and the oil production decreased sharply.
Eighty percent of the 14 oil wells that have been put into operation now are groundwater, which basically destroys this good and large oil field.
Chernomyrdin said unreservedly to Seryosha that the Soviet government would not announce this matter to the common people, because the Samotrol oil field is an important financial source for the country, and its production has an important influence on society and is related to people's confidence in the future of Soviet reform.
Hearing Chernomyrdin's words, Seryosha also retreated in his heart, but after all, this is the world's seventh largest oil field, and the oil quality of the Samotrol oil field is surprisingly good, not only the sulfur content is very low, but also the burial is shallow, such high-quality oil fields are rare in the world, and most of them are concentrated in the hands of governments, if the Soviet government is willing to sell the Samotrol oil field to foreign companies, then Glencore can definitely rank among the top ten oil companies in the world in terms of reserves.
"Viktor Chernomyrdin's name, has this news been announced to the public?"
asked Seryosha anxiously.
"Not yet, but I have already reported this to General Secretary Gorbachev and Secretary Ligachev, and they agreed that the Samotrol oil field has lost its value for further exploitation, and it would be better to sell it to foreign capital to get more money for the exploitation of the oil and gas areas of Baku and the Second Baku Volga Urals."
Chernomyrdin replied.
"Victor, see if this matter can be like this, anyway, it's only 10 billion dollars, I think I still have some connections in Europe, maybe I can find you such a wrongdoer, so this matter should not be publicly tendered," Seryosha pleaded.
"Seryosha, I'm afraid it's not good to do this, 10 billion is just our starting price, you have to know that if it is auctioned, the Samotrol oil field can definitely earn more than this number" "But as long as other foreign companies inspect the goods, they will know that the Samotallol oilfield is actually a money-losing product, and not only will the goodwill of our country be destroyed, but the other party is likely to refuse to pay, so I think the Samotallol oilfield will not even be sold for 10 billion yuan in the future."
I'll find you a company to take over, and I promise to pay in cash, and 10 billion cents will reach the government's account," Seryosha said to Chernomyrkin.
"Okay, but you have to tell me first which company will take over the Samotrolol oil field," Chernomyrdin asked curiously.
"It is the Glencore Group, the largest trading partner of our Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation," Seryosha told the truth.
"Seryosha, I don't take a position on the selection of foreign-funded oil companies, but after all, this matter is registered in the Politburo, and there should still be a process, so it is certain to be open to the public, but we can set up some obstacles in specific operations, such as foreign investors participating in the bidding must have good trade relations with the Soviet government, and for example, they must pay a deposit of seven billion dollars before the auction, for example, we cannot dismiss our workers for any reason, I think there should be few companies that can meet these standards."
Chernomyrdin was so good that he did not directly accede to Seryosha's request, but he had revealed enough ways to keep other powerful oil companies out, and that good trade relations with the Soviet Union would keep out cleanup competitors like Mobil and BP.
And Chernomerdin's words have a strong suggestive effect, basically telling Seryosha about the conditions of this tender, so that Glencore will have more time for targeted preparations.
Seryosha and Chernomyrdin shook hands, and the two looked at each other and smiled, all without saying a word.
Seryosha had actually decided in her heart that no matter what the current situation of the Samoterol oil field was, she would take it into her pocket, after all, fifty years of exploitation rights would have enough time to change the status quo of the Samotrol oil field.
When Seryosha finished talking to Chernomerdin, he had a plan in his mind on the way back.
Now the door of the Soviet Union to foreign businessmen has been opened, but the whole world is still on the sidelines, and only a few enterprises dare to come to the Soviet Union to open up markets.
But Seryosha knew that the reforms in the USSR were real.
Glencore has never been involved in the upstream sector of oil exploration and extraction, and Glencore's strength lies in the spot oil market, which is not volatile and is usually concentrated in industries whose trade is sanctioned.
The international political situation is so complicated that the two countries that are fighting you today may be reconciled tomorrow.
But this was a fatal blow to Glencore, which relied on war and embargo to make money.
After Seryosha returned to his office, he contacted Markridge to discuss the matter, and Markridge was extremely excited to hear the news, and he immediately arranged for his deputy Green to go to Moscow as soon as possible to participate in the bidding for the Samotrol oil field.
When Seryosha and Macridge were on the phone, they unexpectedly got the bad news that a Suez-class cargo ship carrying Iranian oil by MSC was sunk by the Iraqi Air Force in the Red Sea.
The freighter was supposed to go to South Africa, but because of the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq targeted all oil tankers carrying Iranian oil.
Mediterranean shipping has thus become Iran's scapegoat. t1706231537: