Production drilling is in full swing at the Kovyktinskoye field in the Irkutsk Region. Seven drilling rigs are currently in operation, and their number is going to be raised to 18 next year, Gazprom announced, indicating there will be plenty of supply to ramp up ‘Power of Siberia’ gradually to 38 Bcm per year, as planned, by 2025.
To boost gas exports to China, Gazprom is striving to complete the second compressor station on the ‘Power of Siberia’ pipeline this autumn. Construction of the pipeline section between Kovyktinskoye and Chayandinskoye will also start in the third quarter of this year.
Amur GPP almost two-thirds complete
Progress on the Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP) construction project is at 58 percent complete. With a design processing capacity of 42 Bcm/year, the Amur plant will be essential to ramp up throughput of the China interconnector.
Installation of the core equipment of the first and second production trains is nearly finished, Gazprom noted, and said equipment is being prepared for start-up and commissioning. Meanwhile, gas separation equipment is being installed on train three and four.
To power the Amur GPP, Gazprom is building a new 160 MW combined-cycle power station called Svobodny TPP which is scheduled to start up in late 2020.
New focus on Northern Gas Corridor
The Russian arctic, notably the Yamal Peninsula is another key focus of Gazprom’s upstream efforts. This strategic oil- and gas bearing region has explored gas reserves of 16.7 trillion cubic meters, where Gazprom seeks to achieve an annual output of 310–360 billion cubic meters of gas. To this end, 52 new gas wells will be brought onstream at the Bovanenkovskoye field as well as a connecting pipeline, stretching to the Kharasaveyskoye field.
Eager to expand the northern gas transmission corridor, Gazprom is setting up compressor stations and workshops at the Bovanenkovo– Ukhta 2 and Ukhta– Torzhok 2 gas pipelines. Supply from the northern gas corridor can be transported westbound and partially serve as a feedstock for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.