Press center

03.10.2025

The Potential of the Caspian Cluster of SEZs Was Presented at the “Caspian – Sea of Success” Forum

The 3rd International Youth Oil and Gas Scientific and Technical Forum “Caspian – Sea of Success” was held at the Astrakhan State Technical University. Leading Russian oil and gas companies presented modern developments in equipment and innovative technologies, as well as hundreds of projects that have been successfully implemented in production across the country.

 The Government of the Astrakhan Region, LUKOIL-Nizhnevolzhskneft LLC, the Association of State Universities and Research Centers of the Caspian Countries, and the Astrakhan State Technical University were the forum organizers.

 The event brought together more than 200 participants – leading engineers, government officials, students and young specialists from Russia and foreign countries. The Management Company of the Caspian Cluster was represented by Alexander Kim, Director General, and Andrey Nalimov, Deputy Director General.

 Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, spoke to the assembly in a video address. She noted the importance of the forum for the development of international cooperation and the professional growth of young specialists, as well as expressed gratitude to the organizers for creating a unique platform for dialogue and exchange of experience.

 The Astrakhan Region, thanks to its geographical position and its substantial hydrocarbon resources, plays a key role in forming Russia’s policies in the Caspian region. The Caspian Sea is a center of oil and gas production; marine oil and gas projects give an impetus to the comprehensive development of the territories of all the Caspian states.

 Aсcording to Ilya Volynskiy, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Astrakhan Region, the region’s resource base includes 10 hydrocarbon fields within the Astrakhan Region and 13 fields in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea. The total explored and preliminarily assessed reserves amount to over 5.4 trillion cubic meters of gas and 1.3 billion tons of oil and condensate, which represents more than 20% of Russia’s total condensate reserves, 7% of natural gas, and about 90% of gas sulfur. The annual total industrial production of hydrocarbons is about 12 billion cubic meters of gas and 10 million tons of oil and gas condensate.

 Several promising investment projects in the field of natural resource development are currently being implemented in the region. These include initiatives for developing offshore oil and gas fields and preserving and increasing the planned level of raw material extraction in the left-bank part of the Astrakhan Gas and Condensate Field.

The industrial and logistical potential of the Caspian Cluster of SEZs was presented in detail by Andrey Nalimov, Deputy Director General. The necessary infrastructure for carrying out operations in this area has been provided in Special Economic Zone Lotus. Using funds from PJSC Gazprom, a branch gas pipeline and a gas distribution station with a capacity of 200 000 m³/hour, which will supply gas needs for current and future tenants of SEZ Lotus and provide backup capacity for prospective projects, have been built.

 – The forum is an important step toward forming a strong personnel potential that will allow the region to maintain leading positions in the industrial sector and make a significant contribution to the strategic development of the Caspian region. We see enormous potential in talented youth and actively support initiatives aimed at training specialists of a new generation. Our Management Company cooperates with leading educational institutions of the Astrakhan Region. For example, on the basis of the Narimanov branch of the Astrakhan State College of Professional Technologies there is a Center for the Development of Professional Competencies, where specialists are trained for the enterprises of the special economic zone, – commented Andrey Nalimov.