In 2012, LUKOIL began exploration in two offshore blocks in Romania's Black Sea-Est Rapsodia and Trident. For the first time in its corporate history, LUKOIL initiated upstream activities in the territory of a Member State of the European Union.
Blocks Est Rapsodia (EX-29) and Trident (EX-30) are located in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea at depths of 90 to 1200 m distance to the coast-from 60 to 120 km. The closest major port is Constanta. The total area of license areas is approximately 2 thousand m2 .
In February 2011, a consortium with the participation of PJSC LUKOIL executed concession agreements with the National Agency for mineral resources for exploration and development data blocks.
LUKOIL Overseas opened an office in Bucharest in May 2011 to manage the project. In October 2011, the ratification of the agreements was held by the Romanian Government.
In 2012, seismic surveys carried out 3D volume 2 thousand m2 . In 2014, LUKOIL together with project partners implemented a drilling program, which included the drilling of three wells (one in the Rapsodia block and two in the Trident block).
In October 2015, according to the results of drilling exploratory well Lira-1x located in the Trident block, LUKOIL suspended the well in order to conduct tests to assess the potential discovery. The preliminary results of the analysis of data obtained during the drilling process and geophysical research on borehole Lira-1 x revealed a productive bundle with effective gas approximately 46 meters thick. According to seismic data that area of the field may contain up to 39m2 stocks-more 30 billion m3 of gas that must confirmed during the assessment.
The success of wells Lira-1 x enabled LUKOIL to reduce risks for further exploration on a series of prospective objects with significant resource potential, located as close to the structure of the Lira, and in other parts of the block.
The plans for further work includes drilling one exploratory well as well as seismic data surveys to confirm the size of the discovery and clarification of its hydrocarbon potential.
