NOTES ON THE REPORT
ON UHTEŃSKAYA OIL
September 23–30, 1919
To V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin)
In light of the impending fuel crisis, I take the liberty of drawing your attention to my memorandum on Uhten’s oil, which I am thoroughly familiar with. It is up to you to issue instructions regarding further on-site inspections—and even the development of this resource—especially since, although the oil remains undeveloped, it is nonetheless being lost to nature through sheer inactivity.
A. S. Solovyov
Uhten’s Oil
Among the numerous oil fields in Russia, there is one that, in recent times, deserves the government’s close attention and which is soon destined to assume considerable importance within our oil industry.
This field is situated almost at the very border between the Ust-Sysolsky District of Vologda Governorate and the Mezen District of Arkhangelsk Governorate, where the Uhta River flows from west to east, cutting through the Timan Ridge and emptying into the Izhma River—the largest left-bank tributary of the Pechora River. The Izhma River flows directly from south to north, ultimately discharging into the Arctic Ocean.
…The ceaseless, intense outflow of oil at natural seeps leads one to suspect that the reserves stored within the earth’s depths must be truly colossal.
The primary oil-bearing stratum, by all accounts, lies extremely deep—as evidenced by the numerous boreholes drilled at various locations across the Uhten oilfield by one of the groups of individuals who had submitted applications for oil exploration in that region…
Based on the foregoing, we may conclude that the oil-bearing potential of the Uhta River basin is beyond doubt, and that the indigenous oil reserves here…

1919

should be sought in deeper, more substantial layers of mica-rich and calcareous sandstones lying at depths of 100 fathoms or greater—a position that is fully consistent with the government’s earlier directive, which had already designated these lands as inherently oil-bearing, as officially published in the Collection of Laws and Governmental Orders, No. 59, dated July 2, 1900.
Turning to the properties of the local oil, it should first be noted that the samples available for analysis were far from ideal: extracted from relatively shallow depths, they had naturally undergone some oxidation, with a portion of the lighter hydrocarbons having already been released. Consequently, all analyses yielded results that were somewhat inferior to what might have been obtained if the oil had been sampled directly from the primary oil-bearing stratum.
Analyses of oil samples recovered from the boreholes were conducted by the distinguished chemical engineer K. I. Tumsky and by A. Berkenheim, a laboratory assistant specializing in organic and analytical chemistry at Imperial Moscow University…
Based on the results of previous investigations, we may draw the following conclusions: Uhten’s oil, with a specific gravity of 0.8832, falls into the so‑called “heavy” oil category—those grades characterized by a specific gravity exceeding 0.8757. Such grades are typically valued somewhat lower than the lighter oils, which possess a lower specific gravity. In terms of specific gravity, Uhten’s oil aligns closely with the average grades of Caucasian crude oil (the Balakhanskiy sources near Baku yield oil with a specific gravity of 0.885), yet it differs markedly from Pennsylvania crude oil, which boasts a significantly lower specific gravity (average grades ranging from 0.829). It is worth noting that the slightly elevated specific gravity observed during the analysis—0.8882—for Uhten’s oil, compared to Baku’s 0.870—is explained by the fact that the samples used for Uhten’s oil analysis were taken from the upper strata, whereas the samples from Baku were drawn from the deeper, production-oriented layers.
In terms of light-product yield, the oil under investigation does not fall short of the oils from the Caucasian sources; however, like the latter, it yields less light product than the oils from Pennsylvania, though among the latter there are also grades that produce even lower light‑product yields…
As for the economic dimension of the question—whether Uhten’s oil can attain significant industrial importance, whether it possesses sufficient prospects to enter the global market and successfully compete with rivals such as Baku’s native oil and Pennsylvania’s foreign oil—it is clear that, in the words of mining engineer Boklevsky, the natural conditions surrounding the Uhten field are undeniably more favorable and far more advantageous than those of Baku: 1) The rock formations through which oil extraction will require drilling are of moderate hardness and exhibit well‑ordered stratification, ensuring both efficient drilling speeds and a remarkably low rate of unsuccessful wells. 2) Although there is no indigenous population proper to Uhten itself, there is no shortage of labor—no matter how extensively the oil industry may expand—

N B
j
?NB the oil business grows. The populations along the Vym and Vychegda rivers number in the tens of thousands, so eager for work that every winter they flock in great numbers to seek employment at the Ural factories and even as far as Western Siberia; it is only natural that, once closer, more lucrative employment opportunities arise, workers will prefer to come here instead. 3) Abundant water—so scarce in Baku that the production of certain highly volatile petroleum products cannot be sustained. A wealth of fine, exceedingly inexpensive timber, ideal for constructing dwellings, factory buildings, vessels, barrels, and fuel.
But the greatest advantage—unrivaled by anything else—is the strategic location relative to key markets. A cursory glance at the map is enough to reveal just how much more advantageous the Uhten field is compared to Baku, at least when it comes to the northern regions of the state and its immediate overseas neighbors. From the oil fields to the Pechora Bay, the distance is a mere 790 versts—entirely downstream: 40 versts along the Uhta to the Izhma River, 270 versts along the Izhma to the Pechora, 330 versts along the Pechora to Pustozersk, and another 150 versts from Pustozersk Bay. Along this waterway, oil can be loaded onto wooden barges with capacities of 50–100 poods as it is extracted throughout the navigation season, then floated downstream to the Pechora Bay—where it is transferred to ocean-going tankers.
Beyond the maritime export route, Uhten’s oil can also reach domestic markets via an inland route, heading westward. There exists a waterway that connects the Pechora River basin with the Northern Dvina River basin. With the advent of oil production, it will be necessary either to construct a railway line or to lay an oil pipeline directly from the field along the Vym River to the village of Veslyany, below the rapids. This route will stretch no more than 120 versts in length.
It goes without saying that the future development of the northern rail network will prove to be a highly beneficial and crucial factor in consolidating the oil industry along the Uhta River—opening up new outlets for oil produced here not only to the west, but also to the east, toward the Urals and into Siberia.
In conclusion, it should be noted that should an oil industry emerge in that region, the government, acting in the interests of both state and economy, will establish rail connections between Uhta and Kotlas, thereby integrating the area into the existing rail network. Thus, without delving into further economic calculations, it is no exaggeration to say that Uhten’s oil will easily secure broad markets—both within Russia, including the Siberian region, and abroad.