The evolution of state policy on the issue of development of the territory of the West Siberian oil and gas province in the 1960s (based on declassified archival documents)

10.54398/1818510Х_2024_1_64

Annotation

Based on currently declassified documents of the CPSU Central Committee, stored in the funds of the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History (RGANI), the problem of the existence of various options for the development of the West Siberian oil and gas province in the second half of the 1960s is considered. Discovered by geologists in the mid 1960s in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in the north of the Tyumen region huge reserves of natural gas required the country's leadership to urgently determine priorities in the development of the country's oil and gas complex. A fundamental decision had to be made: either to further develop traditional resource bases with favorable climatic conditions that did not require colossal funds, or to rely on the development of the West Siberian oil and gas province. The documents studied demonstrate that even in 1967, persistence was required from supporters of the accelerated development of Western Siberia to overcome doubts in the power structures. The conclusion is formulated that at that time there were three alternative approaches to the development of the West Siberian oil and gas province. Among the most optimal, from the point of view of financing and solving problems of an objective, natural nature, was the option of the Minister of the Oil Industry V. D. Shashin. It has been proven that the plan he outlined was distinguished by clear argumentation and references to positive foreign experience. It involved concentrating efforts on the largest fields, using rotational work methods, changing pricing policies and a significant increase in export volumes. It is impossible to overestimate the influence of such reports on the resulting decisions and the state of the Soviet economy in the 1970s.

Keywords

• oil
• gas
• oil and gas complex
• oil and gas province
• field
• development
• Minister of Oil Industry
• Western Siberia
• Tyumen region
• foreign experience
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Contribution of the authors

Bodrova E. V. – generalization, analysis of the collected materials, writing the original text, formulating conclusions. Kalinov V. V. – collection and analysis of archival documents, revision of the text, formulation of conclusions.

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