Page 13 - FSUOGM Week 24 2021

FSUOGM PROJECTS & COMPANIES FSUOGM

Putin launches $14bn Amur gas

processing plant

RUSSIA RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin launched Chayandinskoye gas field that feeds Power of
the $14bn Amur gas processing plant (GPP) in Siberia.
The plant will the Russian Far East on June 9, with operator The plant will also produce some 1mn tonnes
significantly increase Gazprom hailing the project was one of the larg- of propane, around 500,000 tonnes of butane and
Russia's helium est and most advanced of its kind in the world. 2.5mn tonnes of ethane, which will be supplied
production capabilities. The first of the plant’s five trains is now up and to the nearby Amur Gas Chemical Complex that
running, handling Russian gas en route to China Russian petrochemicals group Sibur wants to
via the Power of Siberia pipeline. It should reach develop with China’s Sinopec.
its full capacity of 42bn cubic metres per year in Power of Siberia was brought on stream in
2025. December 2019 and will ship 38 bcm per year of
“This is a capital-intensive and knowl- gas to Russia at full capacity.
edge-intensive project,” Putin said at the launch
ceremony via video link. “The cost of the entire Helium
project is over 1 trillion rubles. I am sure that the Putin noted at the ceremony that Russia cur-
last stage will be commissioned in 2024-2025 as rently accounted for a mere 3% of global helium
planned.” supply. Amur GPP's completion will catapult it
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller described the into the top ranks of helium exporters, however.
plant “as one of the most cutting-edge and high- According to Gazprom, global helium con-
tech production enterprises in the world.” sumption currently stands at around 170-190
“Its construction schedule was extremely mcm per year. Russia's output is less than 5 mcm,
tight,” he said. “Less than six years passed which still makes it the fourth biggest producer
between the first pile and the start-up. An in the world. Once Amur GPP is running at full
unprecedented amount of work was completed capacity, Russia with overtake Algeria, which
in that period.” produced 14 mcm in 2020, and Qatar, which
In addition to sales gas, the Amur GPP will produced 45 mcm, to take the second spot after
also produce up to 60mn cubic metres per year the US, which produced 74 mcm last year.
of helium, which will be shipped to a hub in Most of the helium will be exported. The
Vladivostok and then sold on international mar- plant will benefit from low logistics costs thanks
kets. Gazprom recently revealed that almost all to its close location to large markets in Asia. Gaz-
of the plant’s helium output had been contracted prom has described the Chayandinskoye field
to buyers. The inert gas, which is valuable in a before as a world-class helium asset. It contains
range of industries, is found naturally at the 1.4bn cubic metres of the gas in total. ™

Week 24 16•June•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13