Chinese technology brings welcome changes for Ukraine oil and gas drilling

(People's Daily/Tan Wujun)

As of the end of 2018, Xinjiang Beiken Energy Engineering Co., Ltd., a Chinese company specialized in oil, gas, and other technical services has helped Ukraine drill nine wells for natural gas, six of which had been completed.

In 2017, Beiken signed the contract worth nearly 400 million yuan with UGV, Ukraine’s largest gas producer, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and support from the Ukrainian government as it proposed an energy development strategy.

Now, Beiken has 249 Ukrainian workers. The company has put a lot of effort into providing training for these workers since Ukraine is comparatively weak in oil industrial infrastructure with limited drilling technology.

“We would play a five-minute video of standard operation in drilling before work every day and offer Ukrainian workers training of basic theory. Each Chinese machinist teaches two to three students,” said Li Meng, a manager for drilling platform.

“The salary of Ukrainian staff will increase by 20 to 30 percent when they get promoted. Except for the motivation system, we elect one to two Ukrainian workers as models and give them proper incentives for every month,” he added.

(People's Daily/Tan Wujun)

“I’m satisfied with my present job. I love the working atmosphere here. I have learned a lot of professional expertise and skills from my Chinese teacher,” said Dima, a local drilling engineer, who was having trouble finding major-related work in the first three years after he graduated until Beiken entered the Ukrainian market.

“The oil and gas drilling in Poltava has contributed about 10 percent to our national revenue. Chinese technology has brought welcome changes for us. We wish to deepen cooperation with Chinese enterprises, which could play a greater role in the economic development of Ukraine,” said Maksim, public relations manager of UGV branch office in Poltava.

Liu Jun, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine, said that China and Ukraine share strong complementarities in oil and gas cooperation. The energy cooperation between China and Ukraine will surely become a new highlight in the joint building of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Beiken’s drilling project in Ukraine has also propped up the supporting industries for oil and gas. Boris, a project coordinator, said that Beiken creates new business opportunities for local companies, fueling growth of oil supply, machine repair, cross-border transport, and other sectors.