The North American energy industry is usually associated in Russia with the United States oil-and-gas market and their «shale revolution» which, on the one hand, allowed the USA to take first place in oil production in 2018, and on the other, brought serious risks of a disruption in the global energy balance. Meanwhile, such major oil-producing countries as Canada and Mexico, which are undeservedly paid much less attention, are firmly involved in the continent’s energy system. Canada occupies an honorable fourth place in the global ranking of oil production and exports. Mexico’s energy industry is currently experiencing a difficult time: the country, which ranked sixth in terms of oil production in 2004, dropped to twelfth last year. However, despite such a catastrophic fall, Mexico continues to have a serious influence on the global oil market.

The pricing system on the world oil market, which has long taken its main cue from the price benchmark based on the North Sea BFOE, is currently facing a slew of problems and crises. In particular, the continuing decline in North Sea production that has persisted in recent years is forcing a constant expansion of this basket through the inclusion of more and more fields, which is leading to heterogeneous oil flows without solving the problem of reserve depletion, even in the mid-term (Fig. 1).

An increasing number of researchers have submitted papers in which they write that cumulative oil production exceeds the amount of recoverable reserves at old oilfields. New contradictions arise when attempts are made to explain possible mechanisms for the ingress of oil into fields. This article is devoted to the attempts made to settle the main contradictions of oilfield geology and oilfield development based on the latest physics discoveries and the results of an experiment to increase the ingress of oil into an oilfield.

The Energy Ministry’s efforts to promote the fuel and energy complex and the sectors within it invariably focus on a number of priority areas as designated by the President and the Government. They primarily include building up the hydrocarbon resource base, implementing infrastructure projects, diversifying export potential, lifting administrative barriers, improving the legal framework, increasing the availability of energy sources, the domestic development of technologies, including digital technology, and promoting international cooperation. These and a number of other key goals have become the main benchmark of the country’s energy policy. We see that priority performance indicators for various sectors within the fuel and energy complex as outlined by the country’s leadership five to seven years ago have either been achieved or will be achieved soon. In this regard, 2019 may be one of the most seminal years for the development of Russia’s energy sector and can pave the way for the Russian energy sector breaking new ground and reaching new heights.