Yamal project, also referred to as Yamal megaproject, is a long-term plan to exploit and bring to the markets the vast natural gas reserves in the
Yamal Peninsula
The Yamal Peninsula (russian: полуостров Ямал, poluostrov Yamal) is located in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of northwest Siberia, Russia. It extends roughly 700 km (435 mi) and is bordered principally by the Kara ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. Administratively, the project is located in the
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YaNAO; russian: Яма́ло-Не́нецкий автоно́мный о́круг (ЯНАО), ; yrk, Ямалы-Ненёцие автономной ӈокрук, ) or Yamalia (russian: Ямалия) is a fed ...
. The project is developed by
Gazprom
PJSC Gazprom ( rus, Газпром, , ɡɐzˈprom) is a Russian majority state-owned multinational energy corporation headquartered in the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg. As of 2019, with sales over $120 billion, it was ranked as the larges ...
.
[
]
History
Preparations for the Yamal's development started in the 1990s. According to the original plans, drilling work on the Bovanenkovo field was to have started in 1997.
[ In January 2002, Gazprom identified the Yamal Peninsula as a region of Gazprom's strategic interest. Preparatory works started in 2007 with the construction of auxiliary infrastructures, such as staff buildings and transport facilities.][ In July 2008 Gazprom launched the construction of the Bovanenkovo–Ukhta gas trunkline at the submerged crossing via the ]Baydaratskaya Bay
Baydaratskaya Bay or Baydarata Bay (russian: Байдарацкая губа, Baydaratskaya guba, Tundra Nenets language, Tundra Nenets: Пэдарита, ''Pėdarita'') is a gulf in Russia, located in the southern part of the Kara Sea between t ...
.[ The project was officially inaugurated on 3 December 2008.][
As of 2020, Yamal produces over 20% of Russia's natural gas, which is expected to increase to 40% by 2030.]
Oil and gas fields
As of 2008, Gazprom listed 11 gas fields and 15 oil, gas and condensate fields on the Yamal Peninsula and the Yamal shelf in the Kara Sea
The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...
. They consisted of 16 trillion cubic meters (tcm) of explored and provisionally evaluated gas reserves, and nearly 22 tcm of in-place and forecast gas reserves. Estimated condensate reserves were 230.7 million tonnes; estimated oil reserves were 291.8 million tonnes. The largest gas fields for which Gazprom owns the licenses were the Bovanenkovo, Kharasavey, Novoportovo, Kruzenshtern, Severo-Tambey, Zapadno-Tambey, Tasiy and Malygin fields.[
As of 2021, Gazprom listed 18 fields it has licenses for in the Yamal Peninsula and offshore, only a few of which were in production. Evaluated reserves for these fields were given as 20.4 trillion cubic meters (tcm) of gas and 1 billion tonnes of gas condensate and oil. In 2020 99.25 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas was produced.]
Bovanenkovo gas field
The Bovanenkovo gas field is the largest gas field on the Yamal Peninsula with estimated reserves of 4.9 tcm.[ In 2020 production was , of its nominal production capacity of per year.]
Yamal LNG
In November 2008, Gazprom announced that it had a list of potential partners for the Yamal LNG
Yamal LNG (russian: ОАО "Ямал СПГ") is a joint venture based around a liquefied natural gas plant located in Sabetta at the north-east of the Yamal Peninsula, northwest Siberia, Russia. In addition to the LNG plant, the project includes p ...
project.[
] Ultimately however Novatek
Novatek (russian: ПАО «НОВАТЭК», , ) is Russia's second-largest natural gas producer (behind Gazprom), and the seventh-largest publicly traded company globally by natural gas production volume. The company was originally known as OAO F ...
was the principal shareholder, and commercial operation started in December 2017 with the loading of the first LNG carrier
An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG).
History
The first LNG carrier ''Methane Pioneer'' () carrying , classed by Bureau Veritas, left the Calcasieu River on the Louisiana Gulf coast on 25 January ...
.[
]
Transport
The Obskaya–Bovanenkovo railway was opened in 2011 to provide all year access to the Bovanenkovo gas field. The port at Kharasavey gas field
The Kharasavey gas field is a natural gas field located in the Yamal Peninsula. It was discovered in 1966. Gazprom intends to start production in 2023, requiring a new pipeline to join the Yamal–Europe pipeline
The Yamal–Europe natural gas ...
can be used in the summer. The gas fields are also served by the Bovanenkovo Airport .
The Arctic Gate offshore oil loading terminal is located in the Gulf of Ob
The Gulf of Ob ( (russian: Обская губа, Obskaya guba; also known as ''Bay of Ob'', russian: Обский залив, Obsky zaliv, link=no) is a bay of the Arctic Ocean, located in Northern Russia at the mouth of the Ob River. , designed to operate where ice could be over two meters thick.
Trunk pipelines
A joint project ( Yamal-Europe pipeline) between gas transportation companies of Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
, Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
and Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
was agreed in 1993 and commissioned in 1999. After commissioning of the Bovanenkovo–Ukhta gas trunkline it will deliver Yamal's gas to Europe.[
] Construction of this pipeline started in July 2008 and was officially launched on 3 December 2008.[ The gas pipeline is to connect the Bovanenkovo gas field with the Russian gas hub at ]Ukhta
Ukhta (russian: Ухта́; kv, Уква, ''Ukva'') is an important industrial town in the Komi Republic of Russia. Population:
It was previously known as ''Chibyu'' (until 1939).
History
Oil springs along the Ukhta River were already known in ...
. First deliveries of over 15 bcm per year were originally expected to start by the end of 2011,[ but actual pipeline filling with natural gas started on 15 June 2012.
The shortest pipeline routes from Yamal to the northern EU countries are the Yamal–Europe pipeline through Poland and ]Nord Stream 1
Nord Stream (German-English mixed expression; german: Nord and en, Stream, literally 'North Stream'; russian: Северный поток, ''Severny potok'') is a pair of offshore natural gas pipelines in Europe that run under the Baltic Sea ...
to Germany. The proposed gas route from Western Siberia to China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
is known as Power of Siberia 2 pipeline.
See also
*West Siberian petroleum basin
The West Siberian petroleum basin (also known as the West Siberian hydrocarbon province or Western Siberian oil basin) is the largest hydrocarbon (petroleum and natural gas) basin in the world covering an area of about 2.2 million km², and is al ...
References
External links
Yamal Megaproject
(Gazprom website)
Bovanenkovo Field
(Gazprom website)
{{Pipeline Systems of Russia
Energy in Siberia
Natural gas fields in Russia
Gazprom oil and gas fields