The Russian company Novatek is preparing to ship the first floating liquefied gas plant of the Arctic LNG-2 project, planning to start production of liquefied fuel this year.
The project is being implemented in Belokamenka, Murmansk region. This is a key center for the nascent LNG industry in Russia. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2024 and was ahead of schedule by almost a year.
Modules for the facility are constructed at a yard in China before being shipped for final assembly. A new module left the Chinese port of Tianjin three weeks ago aboard the heavy lift carrier Pugnax and the vessel is awaiting icebreaker at the eastern terminus of the NSR.
The head of Novatek Leonid Mikhelson said that the capital investment in Arctic LNG-2 will be more than the initial $22 billion due to changes in the project's power supply scheme.
The company is also exploring the possibility of building a new large-tonnage LNG project in the Murmansk region, consisting of three liquefaction lines with a capacity of 6.8 million tons each. The project is based on the proprietary technology developed by Novatek and the company's own natural gas from the Gydan Peninsula in Yamal. Its focus will be mainly on the Asia-Pacific market, Mikhelson said.
