Prior to being fed into the ‘Power of Siberia’ gas interconnector to China, the Russian gas undergoes treatment at Amur, producing valuable petrochemicals and gases.
The Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP), situated in the Russian Far East, has a design capacity of 42 billion cubic metres of gas per year and when fully completed will include the world's largest helium production facilities. The first two of the plant’s six production lines are slated for commissioning in 2021. The remaining Amur GPP lines will be consecutively put into operation before the end of 2024. The Amur plant is expected to reach its design capacity by 2025.
Monetizing Amur GPP by-products
Keen to monetize the by-product of Amur GPP, Gazprom Gazenergoset Geliy plans to purchase gas-powered vehicles to transport liquid helium.
To that end, freight trucks powered by LNG will be used. Batch production of these trucks will be carried out at the facilities of KAMAZ, part of Rostec. The infrastructure for producing LNG and refueling these trucks will be set up by Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo, a special-purpose company set up aspart of the Russian gas giant’s systematic efforts to develop the natural gas vehicle (NGV) market
The first 18 trucks are meant to be in service by 2021. These LNG-powered trucks will transport helium in special thermally-insulated containers.