Russia Approves Giant Grid Expansion
Russia has approved a plan for the development of the country's grid infrastructure to carry more gas for the two lines of Nord Stream which will have a combined capacity of 110bn m³/yr when the second is built.
The plan includes a third line for the Bovanenkovo-Ukhta and Ukhta-Torzhok domestic gas pipelines.
The construction of these pipelines is being carried out as part of the expansion of the north-western corridor of the Unified Gas Supply System of the Russian Federation. The projects are aimed to transit Yamal gas for both domestic demand and exports.
Bovanenkovo-Ukhta and Ukhta-Torzhok gas pipelines:
Credit: Gazprom
The plan sets a 2020 date for the completion of the 45bn m³/yr, 973-km Ukhta-Torzhok-3 gas pipeline. The Ukhta-Torzhok 1 line, also able to carry 45bn m3/yr, started in 2011 and was ready two years later. Ukhta-Torzhok 2 project entered its construction stage in October 2015 and is due to be finished this year.
The 1,110-km Bovanenkovo-Ukhta 3 pipeline with capacity of 69.2bn m3/yr is projected to become operational by 2023. Its first and second phases (Bovanenkovo-Ukhta 1&2 with 115bn m3/yr capacity completed in 2014 and 2017 respectively. The source of gas is Bovanenkovo field which is Yamal’s largest natural gas production reservoir.
A third and final gas production facility of the Bovanenkovskoye field came onstream last month, with the start-up of the core process equipment, with commissioning scheduled to take place in 2018. In addition, it was decided to start the full-scale pre-development of Kharasaveyskoye, another large field in Yamal, in 2019.