As planned according to the schedule in 2017, a significant event took place in early December, the first liquefied gas from Yamal LNG was shipped to the mainland. The start button for gas shipment was pressed by the main initiator and inspirer of this large-scale project - our president Putin V.V. Not everyone believed in this venture, but there were people who took a chance and ultimately won - as Vladimir Vladimirovich said at the final conference.
Subtotals and reviews of Yamal LNG specialists
In December 2017, the first phase of the construction of the plant was launched; in another stage it will be launched in 2018 and 2019. After that, the fourth will be built - entirely on Russian technologies. According to experts, the demand for gas in the world will only grow, and in 20 years, consumption will grow, approximately, by 40%, and specifically LNG - by 70%. The interest in liquefied gas is so great that the chief director of the powerful national Saudi oil company Saudi Aramco flew to launch the first stage. What might be of interest to a company from Saudi Arabia, the main gas supplier in the world in the north of Russia? Of course, our next possible gas project in the Arctic latitudes is Arctic SPG-2. The Saudis do not hide their interest in cooperation on financing and development of the field. The launch of an expensive, unique complex in the town of Yar-Sale in the Yamal Peninsula is a landmark event on a global scale. It is no secret that our country, our strategic oil and gas companies have been sanctioned, including for technology and equipment. It is all the more valuable that in such harsh conditions, the first phase of the project was completed on time and, surprisingly for our country, the initial estimated cost was not exceeded. This caused a lot of endorsement about the Yamal LNG. By the way, the Americans have not yet been able to launch a similar project in Alaska.
History of Yamal LNG
Yamal and the territories adjacent to it, in terms of proven gas reserves, occupy a leading position in Russia. Today, more than 20% of Russian gas is located on the Yamal Peninsula, so local fields are destined to be the main territories for the production of this fuel. 12 years ago, Yamal LNG was established, where Novatek became the shareholders - 60% of the shares, Total - 20% of the shares and CNPC - 20% of the shares. Recently, Novatek sold a 9.9% stake in the Silk Road Fund, but retained a controlling stake in 50.1%. The main construction unfolded in 2012. The total investment for all three phases of the complex is $ 27 billion.
Technologies of an integrated gas production, liquefaction and sale scheme
Yamal LNG contractors have implemented an integrated approach to the Russian gas company’s project. In Sabetta, a tiny settlement of the local Nenets people, the first shift workers appeared in 1980. But the development of the village and the surrounding territories received only with the development of the project. They began to build a seaport, a gas liquefaction plant, a modern Sabetta airport and the Sabetta village itself, where more than 20 thousand people already live.
Gas from the wells through pipes laid above the ground goes to the gas liquefaction plant. At the plant, gas condensate (liquid impurities), methanol and other foreign fractions are separated from gas. The purified, ideally dry gas is used for liquefaction and then piped to storage tanks. There are four of them 160,000 cubic meters. The heart of each plant line is a cryogenic plant (it directly liquefies gas) - the most sophisticated equipment, there are more than 40 kilometers of pipes in it. Gas condensate also finds its application, it is sent to special containers and the corresponding tankers transport condensate to consumers.
Sea port of the company "Yamal LNG"
A unique seaport of Sabetta was built to ship liquefied gas. It is a key link in the technological chain and the main base of the transport hub for the development of oil and gas fields in the Yamal and Ob Bay. The port has already provided navigation along the Northern Sea Route all year round. The port of Yamal LNG Sabetta is the gateway to the Arctic, it is a key link in the construction of the facility under construction.
Liquefied natural gas transportation
According to reviews, Yamal LNG, when reaching its design capacity, should ship 16.5 million tons of liquefied gas (5.5 million tons each turn). To transport such impressive volumes of gas, a fleet of unique vessels will be created from fifteen specially designed reinforced icebreaking tankers with a capacity of 173,000 cubic meters each. A gas supply contract worth more than $ 5 billion has been signed with shipbuilders from South Korea. The lead tanker, which has already loaded and left for customers, bears the name of Christophe de Mangeni - the name of the president of Total, who tragically died in 2014. In many ways, this is the merit of the president of the company - in that, despite the sanctions, the French Total remained in the project. Their knowledge, experience and technology are very important in construction. According to the plan, at the end of 2018, ten gas carriers should be loaded monthly. The loading time of one ship is about 20 hours.
Main consumers
Under the contract, part of the gas will be purchased by the founders of the joint-stock company - Total and CNPC. Among the buyers: the "daughter" of Gazprom, Singaporean, Spanish, English, Indian, French companies. Moreover, 96% of future deliveries are already contracted, and it is known that 70-80% of liquefied gas will go to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. So far, Russia has a small share in global LNG trade. But, if all the planned projects are implemented, we will become a prominent player in the market, and they will reckon with us. We are not able to reach the level of the world's largest LNG supplier, Qatar, but we are quite capable of becoming one of the world leaders. The president of Novatek said that the launch of Arctic LNG-2 in 2022-2023 is real.
Arctic deposits stimulate Russia's development
According to experts, the development of deposits in the Yamal Peninsula, the Gulf of Ob, the Gydan Peninsula will be the driver of Russia's economic growth. As Mendeleev said in the 19th century: "Russia's wealth will grow in Siberia," so now the wealth of our country will grow in the Arctic. Indeed, the development of these territories will require scientific research and technology from many research institutes throughout the country, and orders will load many Russian enterprises and companies. Moreover, under the conditions of sanctions, there is a forced import substitution, which ultimately turns out to be good for us.
Special construction technologies
The stages in the construction of the Yamal LNG plant show that, despite the fact that sanctions certainly affect financing and technological support, Russia found alternative financing and was able to independently create the necessary equipment. In order to mount and run the plant in permafrost conditions, unique technologies are required. Even the foreign specialists involved in the construction of such projects were often unable to help. The plant is mounted from giant modules, more than 300 of them. Modules are created on the mainland, their weight reaches tens and hundreds of tons. These superblocks are transported by special vessels, an extra-strong berth has been created for unloading, withstanding a load of more than 10 tons per 1 sq. Km. meter. Of the modules, a factory is mounted on site. Due to permafrost, the entire installation of modules is carried out on sites installed on piles that go down tens of meters.
Since in Yamal there is no connection with the mainland, except by sea and air, everything here is autonomous. There should be own generation of energy and heat. A gas turbine power plant with a capacity of 370 mW of electric power and 150 mW of thermal energy is under construction. Even trains that will soon go by rail to Sabetta will be the only ones in the world that use LNG as fuel.
Sabetta - shift workers village
Today, in terms of population and living conditions, Sabetta is no longer a village, but a city. Initially, the name of the settlement was Sabeta (with one "t"), then it was somehow Italianized. In the 90s, when the number of drilling and geological exploration was greatly reduced, the population of the village fell to several dozen people. But since 2012, with the start of the construction of the Yamal project, rapid population growth has begun, and the village has turned into a city. In the conditions of permafrost, decent conditions have been created for the work and leisure of employees of the gas production company. Most of the people living here work on a rotational basis, and living conditions are specific: work-home, work-home. The house is a hostel with rooms for 4-8 people. Living conditions are decent, spacious dining rooms, large sports and gyms for those who have the strength left after a busy shift. For all, a strict prohibition was violated - "goodbye" to the mainland.
Prospects for Yamal LNG and other Arctic projects
The events taking place now on the Yamal Peninsula happen once a hundred years. The significance of the development of the project is comparable with the development of Western Siberia 50-60 years ago. We must take into account the growing role of LNG in the gas balance of the world. Due to the fact that the fastest growing markets are located in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, it is often simply impossible to organize gas deliveries to these countries through pipelines. According to experts, if all the plans outlined by our gas producers are fulfilled, by 2030 Russia’s global LNG market share may reach 15%. And all the Yamal fields can reach volumes of 70 million tons of liquefied gas. Even now, Yamal LNG reviews are the most enthusiastic. The Sabetta port under the project will reach a turnover of 30 million tons in a few years. Today, thanks to the construction of a year-round port on the Yamal Peninsula, the volume of traffic along the Northern Sea Route has doubled. In addition to gas industry products, the port will handle other cargoes needed for the northern territories. Of course, it will also be involved in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense, that is, it has strategic importance.
Job vacancies
The Yamal LNG plant is developing and, of course, specialists in the new facility are required. Requires engineers, workers, operators of various specialties. Salaries start at 85,000 rubles, for leading experts - 2-3 times more. Contacts Yamal LNG: Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Yamal District, Yar-Sale Village.