The Tarkosalinsk oil exploration expedition was organized on March 29, 1965 on the basis of the Purov group of parties by Order No. 140 of the State Geological Committee of the RSFSR headed by V. D. Tokarev. By the beginning of the discovery, there were 300 workers in the expedition, there were two drilling crews. The expedition included high-rise, transport, mechanical repair, water transport and household workshops, seismic and reconnaissance parties No. 8 and No. 9, fishing and geographical party, rigging crews.
The first drilling crew headed by an experienced master A. Tarasov, among whom were veterans of the expedition — M. Kosenko, V. Boldyrev, V. Lopato, F. Alekseev, A. Ershov, P. Shulyak explored and discovered gas and oil fields. Seismic exploration has prepared a number of structures. Real prerequisites have been created for the formation of a new gas production complex on the territory of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the center of which is clearly becoming the Purovsky district.
In the early years, the expedition drilled wells with a depth of 850-1200 meters. Drilling was only for gas. In 1965, 4243 meters of rocks were drilled. By 1985 there were seven drilling crews, 1,150 workers. The annual drilling task was 85 thousand meters.
On the basis of the Tarkosalinsky NRE, the Tarkosalinsky tower installation office, the Tarkosalinsky motor transport enterprise, the repair and operation base of geologists, the enterprise "Heat supply and engineering networks" were formed, the Yuzhno-Tarkosalinsky oil and gas exploration expedition, the road construction department, the base of production and technical support and equipment, the Tarkosalinsky geophysical expedition was formed.
A lot has been done by the Tarkosalinsk Oil and Gas Expedition team to increase oil, gas and condensate reserves on Purov land. Geologists working in expeditions were high-class professionals for whom exploration became a matter of life.