Leonid Mikhelson says NOVATEK will build an LNG plant using Russian equipment

27.05.2022       

NOVATEK has begun pre-project work on the construction of a 5 million ton natural gas liquefaction (LNG) plant using Russian technology, CEO Leonid Mikhelson announced on May 25. “Now we are going to make a project ... to place two lines on the GBS (gravitational type base), which we produce in Murmansk. That this production was 5 million tons. Pre-project work has begun. This will all be done on Russian equipment,»,— explained Leonid Mikhelson. Based on his words, the unit capacity of the line will be 2.5 million tons.

Mr. Mikhelson did not specify, whether it will be a new project or they plan to use Russian technology on already known projects — «Ob LNG» or the second and third lines of the Arctic LNG-2. In both cases, the company considered using a CDP with a 6.6 million tonne liquefaction line. NOVATEK did not provide further comment.

In April, the EU imposed its first sanctions against the Russian gas industry, banning the supply of key equipment for the production of liquefied natural gas. Russia traditionally purchased the main part of the equipment for large-tonnage liquefaction in "unfriendly" countries. These restrictions do not apply to the supply of gas turbines to the Russian Federation, but their foreign manufacturers can no longer enter into new contracts with Russian companies.

Now NOVATEK is assembling liquefaction lines for Arctic LNG in Murmansk, then they are planned to be installed on gravity platforms and towed to the Gulf of Ob to the Utrenneye field on the Gydan Peninsula. Despite the sanctions, NOVATEK so far declares that the previously announced deadlines for Arctic LNG-2 will be maintained. with the launch of the first line in 2023.

So far, the only example of an LNG line entirely on Russian equipment has been the fourth line of Yamal LNG. NOVATEK by 0.9 million tons per year.

During its construction, a lot of difficulties arose, the commissioning dates were postponed several times. Mr Michelson, commenting on the construction of this line on May 25, he noted that &ldash; for about a year, but it works now.

"Ob LNG" for 5 million tons, NOVATEK initially planned to build on the basis of exclusively Russian equipment, but in the end, foreign companies nevertheless participated in the tender for the supply of turbines and compressors, and then the project, amid problems with the fourth line of Yamal LNG, and completely transferred to a completely foreign base.

The Russian Federation does not have its own powerful gas turbines for the production of LNG, which limits the unit capacity of the line. As a rule, the higher the unit power, the lower the specific investment.

Full text in the article by Tatyana Dyatel Kommersant

laquo;REP Holding» (manufactured under license from GE). At the same time, for the lines of the Yamal LNG project with a capacity of 5.5 million tons, GE Frame 7E turbines with a capacity of 86 MW were used, on the first line of the Arctic LNG-2; — Baker Hughes LM9000 machines with power up to 75 MW.

Full text in the article by Tatyana Dyatel Kommersant