Gazprom kicks major Arctic gas field into maximum overdrive
Russian gas major Gazprom has launched the final unit of a major national gas field in the Arctic that is projected to produce for more than 100 years.
It took the company 10 years to build the whole infrastructure in the harsh northern conditions. The unique Bovanenkovo oil and gas condensate field will now be able to work at full capacity, increasing it to the target level of 115 billion cubic meters of gas per year. This is almost half of what Gazprom provides for the domestic market and almost half its exports, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The scale is impressive,” Putin told Gazprom’s CEO, Alexey Miller, as he joined the launching ceremony via a conference call on Wednesday.
The works on the key Arctic facility began in 2008, and the company managed to create a powerful industrial complex at the field as well as all necessary infrastructure, including a railroad and an airport. Two previous units began operations in 2012 and in 2014.
Gas production operations at the field are to continue at the facility for more than 100 years – until 2128. The Yamal gas production center, which includes Bovanenkovo field, has the “primary role in the national gas industry throughout the 21st century,” according to Gazprom.
The company also said it connected the Ukhta-Torzhok 2 gas pipeline, designed to pump gas into the Nord Stream 2 to Germany, to the key route of Russia’s Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS). The new gas pipeline is 970 kilometers (602 miles) long and can take some 45 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
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Bovanenkovo is the backbone of the Yamal gas production center and the largest field in the area in terms of explored gas reserves. At the start of development in 2012, its reserves were estimated at 4.9 trillion cubic meters. Last year, gas production from the facility amounted to 82.8 billion cubic meters.
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