Cooperation with Venezuela to Reach a New Level

On April 4, 2014, a working meeting of the Rector of the University , Professor Nikolay Tskhadaya with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Armenia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Mr. Juan Vicente Paredes Torrealba took place.

The meeting highlighted a wide range of issues of cooperation between Ukhta University and the partners in the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela. The parties agreed to continue the dialogue on strategic partnership. The University will take part in the energy forum in Moscow, which is to be held in May. During the meeting, Ambassador Juan Vicente Paredes Torrealba expressed his willingness to pay an introductory visit to Ukhta, the birthplace of the first Russian oil to become personally acquainted with the university base and discuss areas of cooperation.

It should be noted that cooperation between Ukhta State Technical University and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela began in May 2013, when a delegation consisting of the main leader of comprehensive research of the company PDVSA, Ilse Lilibeth Lopez- Perez, First Deputy General Director of " NIIgazekonomika", Alexander Kazak and Advisor to the General Director of "NIIgazekonomika" Vasily Totkalo visited Ukhta University. During this visit, the first introduction of the representative of Venezuela Company PDVSA, Ilse Lilibeth Lopez- Perez with the university took place.

She devoted several days to exploring the city and the university complex: she visited the main buildings of the university, name classrooms of oil and gas companies and got acquainted with the work of the Center for Training Staff, Geological Prospecting Faculty, as well as visited the University Museum. The delegation also met with the rector of USTU, Nikolay Tskhadaya. Rector told Ms. Lopez- Perez about the University adding that there are operating mines at the territory of Ukhta and Yarega, where heavy oil is produced by a mining method. According to the visitors from Venezuela, there is the world's largest deposit of heavy oil at a depth of 6-7 thousand feet in the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela. It is developed by a consortium composed of Russian oil and gas companies. Therefore, Lopez- Perez stressed, exchange of experience and technology with Russian specialists is of special importance.

Besides studying the technologies of underground gas storage, prospects of cooperation with Russia in the field of development of deposits of high-viscosity oils are of great interest for the Venezuelan industry. The Government of South American republic has made ambitious plans to develop Venezuelan oil and gas industry whose implementation is impossible without mutually beneficial international contacts.

In autumn, 2013 Ilse Lilibeth Lopez- Perez visited Ukhta for the second time. For a representative of the Venezuelan company PDVSA USTU organized a visit to Yareganeft Oil Mine Head Office with a tour of the main objects of Yaregskoye field and descent into the oil pit, during which they discussed the technical and technological development features of Yaregskoye field of heavy oil. From 14 to 15 November Ilse Lilibeth Lopez Perez took part in the inter-regional scientific and technical conference "Problems of development and exploitation of fields of high-viscosity oils and bitumen", during which she spoke on "Experience of the company PDVSA in production of high-viscosity oils in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela". After the conference, at the meeting with the Rector and Vice-Rector for Administration and External Relations Ilse Lilibeth Lopez Perez shared her impressions of the inter-regional scientific and technical conference and visiting oil mines of Yaregskoye field. The representative of the company PDVSA stressed that the prospects of cooperation with Russia in the field of development of deposits of high-viscosity oils and bitumen are of great interest for the Venezuelan industry.

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Petróleos de Venezuela, Sociedad Anonima (PDVSA) is a Venezuela's state oil and gas company. The company was incorporated in 1976 during the nationalization of entire oil and gas sector. Following the liberalization of the market in the 1990s, large foreign companies returned to Venezuela and created a number of joint ventures with PDVSA. However, Petroleo de Venezuela retained a monopoly on production of natural gas. In order of importance to the country PDVSA is similar to Russia's Gazprom.