Natural pressure gas lift operation is natural gas production and injection into gas trunklines using natural formation energy at the initial stage of field development when the amount of formation pressure is high enough (5.5 to 12 MPa). For instance, natural pressure gas lift operation at the Severo-Stavropolskoye gas field lasted 6 years, at the Medvezhye field – 9 years.

Sometimes the natural pressure gas lift operation is called a free-flow production method. The formation pressure reduction leads to necessity for transition to pumping operation – commissioning of a main compressor station (intake) and then booster compressor stations (in the gas field).