Chapter 174 The Iran-Iraq War Affects Chiyu
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Buying the Samotloor oil field with the largest reserves and the highest output in the Soviet Union for US$10 billion is a good thing like a pie in the sky! But why the Soviet government was so anxious to sell the Samotlore oil field, what is the secret behind it. Seryozha must make a decision after inquiring clearly.
So Seryozha asked Chernomyrdin the question in his heart, why the Samotlol Oilfield fell so sharply, it stands to reason that such a large oilfield is enough to rank among the top ten in the world, and it will not lose at all to the Ghawar oil field in Saudi Arabia. But now, in less than thirty years, it has become an abandoned child in the hands of the Soviet government. What happened in the past 30 years? Could it be that the estimated production was wrong, and local officials exaggerated the reserves of the oilfield?
"Seryosha, there is no problem with the reserves of the Samotlol oil field. There is still a large amount of oil stored underground waiting to be exploited. The oil we have obtained is less than one percent of the reserves of the entire Samotlol oil field. The decline in production is entirely due to man-made reasons. In the Brezhnev era, in order to pursue production and earn more foreign exchange from oil exports, we adopted unscientific mining methods, because too much groundwater was injected, destroying the The original geological structure of the Motlore Oilfield caused the formation to break, and the injected water preferentially entered the underground rock crevices. The water content of the oilfield increased, and the oil production dropped sharply. The 14 oil wells that are now in production have been drilled hundreds of times. Eighty-tenths of it is groundwater, basically destroying this good big oil field.” Chernomyrdin said to Seryozha without reservation that the Soviet government would not take this matter seriously. It was announced by the common people, because the Samotloor oil field is an important source of finance for the country, and its output has an important influence on society, which is related to people's confidence in the future of Soviet reform.
Hearing Chernomyrdin's words, Seryozha also retreated in his heart, but this is the seventh largest oil field in the world after all, and the oil quality of the Samotlol oil field is surprisingly good , not only has extremely low sulfur content, but also has shallow burial. Such high-quality oil fields are rare in the world, and most of them are concentrated in the hands of governments of various countries. If the Soviet government is willing to sell the Samotloor oil field to foreign companies , then Glencore can definitely be ranked among the top ten oil companies in the world in terms of reserves.
"Victor (Chernomyrdin's name), has this news been made public?" Seryozha asked anxiously.
"Not yet, but I have already reported this matter to General Secretary Gorbachev and Secretary Ligachev. They agreed that the Samotloor oil field has lost the value of continued exploitation, and it is better to sell it to foreign capital. To get more funds for the exploitation of Baku and Baku II (Volga-Ural oil and gas region),” Chernomyrdin replied.
"Victor, you can see if this matter can be done like this. Anyway, it's only 10 billion US dollars. I think I still have some connections in Europe. I may be able to find you such a bully, so this matter should not be called for public bidding. Yes!" Xie Liaosha begged.
"Xie Liaosha, I'm afraid it's not good to do this. Ten billion is our starting price.
You have to know that if it is auctioned, the Samotloar oil field can definitely earn more than this figure..."
"However, as long as other foreign companies inspect the goods, they will know that the Samotloor oil field is actually a money-losing product. Not only will our country's goodwill be destroyed, but the other party will probably refuse to pay. In this case, I think Samot The Troll Oilfield will not even be sold for 10 billion in the future. I will find a company to take over for you, and I promise to pay in cash, and the 10 billion will reach the government's account!" Seriosha told Chernomier Kim said.
"Okay, but first you have to tell me which company will take over the Samotlol oil field?" Chernomyrdin asked curiously.
"It is the largest trading partner of our Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation - Glencore Group," Xie Liaosha told the truth.
"Xie Liaosha, I don't hold a position on the choice of foreign-funded oil companies, but this matter has been registered with the Politburo after all, and there are still necessary procedures, so it is certain that it will be disclosed to the public, but we can do it in terms of specific operations. Set up some obstacles, for example, foreign capital participating in the bidding must have good trade relations with the Soviet government, and for example, a deposit of 7 billion US dollars must be paid before the auction, for example, our workers cannot be dismissed for any reason. I think those who can meet these standards There should not be many companies..." Chernomyrdin's words were tight, and although he did not directly agree to Sergey's request, he has revealed enough ways to keep other powerful oil companies out. Not to mention, just taking the good trade relationship with the Soviet Union can keep out cleanup competitors like Mobil and BP. Moreover, Chernomyrdin's words have a strong hinting effect, basically telling Seryozha the conditions of this tender, so that Glencore can have more time to carry out targeted preparations up.
Seryozha and Chernomyrdin shook hands, and they looked at each other with a smile, saying nothing. In fact, Xie Liaosha has already decided in her heart that no matter what the status quo of the Samotlore oil field is, she will keep it in her pocket. After all, the 50-year exploitation right can have enough time to change the status quo of the Samotloar oil field.
When Seryozha finished talking with Chernomyrdin, he had always planned this matter in his mind on the way back. Now the Soviet Union has opened the door to foreign businessmen, but the whole world is still on the sidelines, and only a few companies dare to come to the Soviet Union to open up the market. But Seryozha knew that the reforms in the Soviet Union were real. For a long time, Glencore has never been involved in the upstream field of oil exploration and exploitation. Glencore's strength lies in the spot oil market, but the spot oil market is not stable, and it is usually concentrated in those industries whose trade is subject to sanctions. The international political situation is so complicated that the two countries that are fighting to the death today may be reconciled tomorrow. But this is a fatal blow to Glencore, which relies on wars and embargoes to make money.
After Seryozha returned to the office, he contacted Mark Rich to discuss the matter. Mark Rich was extremely excited when he heard the news, and he immediately arranged for his deputy Green to go to Moscow as soon as possible to participate in the Samotelo Bidding work for the Er oil field. When Seryozha was on the phone with Mark Rich, he unexpectedly got bad news that a Suez-class freighter carrying Iranian oil in the Mediterranean Shipping Company was sunk by the Iraqi Air Force in the Red Sea. This freighter was originally going to South Africa, but because of the Iran-Iraq War, Iraq targeted all oil tankers carrying Iranian oil. MSC has thus become Iran's scapegoat.