Pumping works have been started in a new oilfield in Klaipeda district in western Lithuania. The new geological resources are estimated to be twice larger than the amount of oil extracted in the last 12 months from 12 Lithuanian oil wells.

The oil extraction volumes have been falling recently, yet the experts hope that the resources will last for at least a decade, writes LETA/ELTA.

Lithuania's oil and gas producing company Manifoldas UAB discovered the new oilfield at the depth of 2 kilometres in Endriejavas subdistrict in Klaipeda district.

The experts count that the oil well should provide over 200,000 tonnes of oil, twice more than it was obtained from 12 other oilfields in 2011.

Manifoldas exports all the pumped oil. Earlier, the concern Orlen Lietuva was not capable of using Lithuanian oil but now the possibilities for that are provided. The company's Director General Arvydas Rutkus says that his company would sell oil in Lithuania as well if they received any purchase proposals.

Oil is only found and pumped in the western part of Lithuania. The country now has 61 oil wells. By December of 2011, Lithuania in total obtained over 4 million tonnes of oil. The oil production reached its peak in 2001 but then the volumes began falling. Recently, Lithuania recorded a small recovery in the oil production sector.