Page 11 - FSUOGM Week 06 2022
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FSUOGM ENERGY TRANSITION FSUOGM
Gazprom to power compressor
stations with electric drives
RUSSIA RUSSIAN atomic energy company Rosatom of up to 25 MGW at Gazprom’s compressor
is working with Gazprom on a plan to convert stations.
Gazprom is looking to the Russian gas transport system to use elec- Kommersant notes that the Siberian energy
reduce its emissions. tric drives rather than gas turbines, in order to system currently has an excess of power supply.
reduce emissions, Kommersant reported on According to the System Operator, peak cloud
February 7. capacity in 2020 reached 28.48 GW, whereas
The plan is a response to heightened scrutiny installed capacity is 41.75 GW, raising a ques-
over the carbon footprint of gas supply in the EU, tion about whether the construction of a nuclear
the biggest customer for Russian gas. According plant would be necessary.
to Kommersant, it may involve the construction The EU is due to introduce a cross-border
of a nuclear power plant in Western Siberia. carbon tax from 2026, although initially it will
Gas turbines are seen as the best economic not apply to oil and gas imports. Nevertheless,
means of powering gas transport because it hydrocarbons are expected to be brought under
means the system does not need any external the system at a later point, and in the meantime,
power source. But gas infrastructure operators energy importers in Europe are under increasing
across the world are taking steps to electrify their pressure from their investors over their environ-
facilities in order to reduce emissions. mental social governance (ESG) scores. They are
The project was discussed at a Rosatom coun- therefore keen to demonstrate that their suppli-
cil meeting in November last year, and would ers deliver gas with a minimal environmental
involve installing electric drives with capacities impact.
PROJECTS & COMPANIES
Gazprom, INK to develop lithium
at Kovyktinskoye gas field
RUSSIA GAZPROM has signed a series of documents and batteries for electric cars. INK has already
with Irkutsk Oil (INK) and Russia’s industry developed technology for lithium-containing
Gazprom has been ministry aimed at recovering lithium com- associated waters, which are found at many of its
looking at various ways pounds from the Kovyktinskoye gas field in fields in Eastern Siberia.
of better monetising its Eastern Siberia, the companies announced on “According to expert estimates, demand for
east gas fields. February 3. lithium will continue soaring in the coming
Gazprom has been looking at various ways years. And it is commonly known that Russia
of better monetising its east gas fields, including imports all the lithium consumed nationwide,”
by targeting oil rims and producing helium. The Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said in a statement.
deal with INK builds on a memorandum that the “That is why it is especially important to develop
pair entered into in October last year. domestic technological expertise in this field.”
The partnership is aimed at producing and
processing formation brines, or saline ground-
waters, found at Kovyktinskoye, in order to
obtain lithium. The two companies have agreed
to work together on research and development,
in order to create domestic technologies, equip-
ment and materials that can be used to recover
lithium. The documents they signed also envis-
age securing state support for the project.
Lithium is used in various industries such as
the growing production of electronic equipment
Week 06 09•February•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P11
