Russian LNG Aims High, Leveraging Big Reserves and Logistical Advantages

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (09) ◽  
pp. 22-25
Author(s):  
Pat Davis Szymczak

Russia’s market influence as an exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is growing, possessing the world’s largest reserves of natural gas and the logistical options to deliver it at competitive prices to Asia and Europe along the now-navigable Northern Sea Route (NSR). The country became a player in the LNG market when it shipped its first cargo in 2009 to Japan from what was then Russia’s first offshore gas project, Sakhalin-2 in the Far East, operated by Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. and owned by Russia’s pipe-line gas monopoly Gazprom (50% plus one share), Shell (27.5% minus one share), and Japan’s Mitsui (12.5%) and Mitsubishi (10%). Sakhalin Energy operates three oil and gas platforms producing its current resource base from the Piltun-Astokhskoye oil field and the Lunskoye gas field off the northeastern coast of Sakhalin. To date, Sakhalin Energy has sold all the LNG produced at its 11.49-mtpa-capacity Prigorodnoye LNG production complex on the southern tip of Sakhalin Island, under long-term contracts to buyers in the Asia Pacific and North America, according to Shell’s website. In 2024–2026, the partners say they will add a third train to expand capacity by 5.4 mtpa, though they have repeatedly delayed this expansion for years due to a lack of investment capital to develop a new resource base and low gas prices in Asia. The same holds true for Gazprom’s plan for an LNG plant near Vladivostok. However, the market has now changed with rising demand for gas to replace coal, giving gas producers an incentive to invest into new E&P gas projects and mid-to-downstream megaprojects like those for producing LNG. https://jpt.spe.org/compared-to-last-year-gas-prices-are-looking-good In 2018 and again this past January, European spot gas prices spiked on Gasunie’s leading TTF (title transfer facility) virtual trading platform and other European trading hubs when Asian gas markets began offering high premiums to divert LNG cargos from Europe, according to the EU Commission’s latest European Gas Market report. The Rise of a Russian IOC—Novatek in Yamal Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer Novatek was Russia’s second entrant into the LNG market when its Yamal LNG project rose above the permafrost atop an estimated 65,000 piles on the Yamal Peninsula, home to Russia’s largest gas deposits and the source of Russian pipeline gas sold into Europe. Yamal LNG shipped its first cargo (170000 m3) in December 2017. It then upped the ante with exports from a second train in August 2018, and added a third train in November 2018, according to Novatek’s website. Situated on the South Tambeyskoye field on the coast of Ob Bay, the plant boasts a capacity of 17.4 mtpa.

1973 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
M. A. Stratton

The discovery by the partnership of Esso Exploration and Production Australia Inc. and Hematite Petroleum Pty Ltd during the past eight years of the natural gas and crude oil fields off the east Victorian coast has often been compared to that of gold in the State in the 1850's in its impact .on the economic, industrial and social life of the community.To date the amount spent in the State on the discovery and overall development of these fields is approximately $600 million. The value of oil and gas recovered over the period of nearly four years since production commenced in 1969 and distributed and utilised by various means to 31 December 1972, amounts to about $500 million. In addition the value of refined products from Victoria's three refineries and items produced by industrial processes through the use of natural gas and petroleum products as fuels, amount to many more millions of dollars. The total impact on Victoria in one form or another could, if measured in monetary value, he equivalent to about $1200 million-all in the course of about eight years.Other States have also benefited. The building of tankers, barges, tugs and work boats and the modification of refineries in New South Wales and Queensland, have probably cost in the region of $200 million whilst indirectly the success of the Gippsland oil and gas discoveries has spurred other explorers to step up the search in many areas and, as far as natural gas is concerned, with considerable success.The speed and efficiency with which the four gas and oil fields developed to date were brought into production, the necessary treatment plants erected, the pipelines laid and distribution facilities organised; and with which the gas industry changed over to the new fuel and refineries modified their processes to use indigenous crudes have, by world standards, been exceptional. From the time the first gas field-Barracouta, was found in February 1965 until the last oil field in the program -Kingfish came fully on stream late in 1971, less than seven years elapsed.During that time Victorian fuel patterns underwent vast changes. Today over 95% of all gas consumers are using natural gas and about 70% of crude processed by local refineries comes from the Gippsland Basin. The significance of natural gas in particular is demonstrated by a 41% increase in gas sales in Victoria in 1971/72 over the previous twelve months and this trend is expected to accelerate as a result of recent arrangements for the supply of large volumes of this fuel to industrial plants including paper mills, cement works and an alumina smelter.Also of major significance to the State has been the development of the port of Western Port where the loading of tankers and LPG carriers has resulted in it becoming the State's second busiest port. Of less immediate impact but still of great value in the long term, has been the building of better roads and facilities needed to service the installations and the emergence of many valuable skills in the petroleum industry which will make easier the task of future development of new fields and facilities in Victoria and other parts of Australia.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Valentinovich Lebedev ◽  
Aydar Razinovich Gabdullin ◽  
Oleg Vasilievich Korepin ◽  
Sergey Stanislavivich Dubitskit ◽  
Sergey Vladimirovich Novikiv ◽  
...  

Summary The resource base of the north of the West Siberian oil and gas province is the basis of Russia's energy strategy. Among the northern territories of the province, the Nadym-Purskaya, Pur-Tazovskaya and Yamal oil and gas regions (OGRs) are the leaders in terms of estimated gas reserves (Figure 1). However, the largest deposits of the first two OGRs are in the stage of falling production. Therefore, the main prospects should be associated with the Yamal OGR, which has not yet been put into active operation. It is logical that along with the development of traditional methods of extraction of "dry" natural gas, the government of the Russian Federation has approved a plan for the production of liquefied natural gas based on the fields of the Yamal Peninsula, which is currently being actively implemented by PJSC "NOVATEK". (https://www.novatek.rU/m/business/exploration/)


Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara I. Yacovitch ◽  
Bruno Neininger ◽  
Scott C. Herndon ◽  
Hugo Denier van der Gon ◽  
Sander Jonkers ◽  
...  

The Groningen natural gas field in the Netherlands – one of Europe’s major gas fields – deploys a “production cluster” infrastructure with extraction, some processing and storage in a single facility. This region is also the site of intensive agriculture and cattle operations. We present results from a multi-scale measurement campaign of methane emissions, including ground and airborne-based estimates. Results are compared with inventory at both the facility and regional level. Investigation of production cluster emissions in the Groningen gas field shows that production volume alone is not a good indicator of whether, and how much, a site is emitting methane. Sites that are nominally shut down may still be emitting, and vice-versa. As a result, the inventory emission factors applied to these sites (i.e. weighted by production) do a poor job of reproducing individual site emissions. Additional facility-level case studies are presented, including a plume at 150 ± 50 kg CH4 hr–1 with an unidentified off-shore emission source, a natural gas storage facility and landfills. Methane emissions in a study region covering 6000 km2 and including the majority of the Groningen field are dominated by biogenic sources (e.g. agriculture, wetlands, cattle). Total methane emissions (8 ± 2 Mg hr–1) are lower than inventory predictions (14 Mg hr–1) but the proportion of fossil fuel sources is higher than indicated by the inventory. Apportionment of methane emissions between thermogenic and biogenic source types used ethane/methane ratios in aircraft flasks and ground-based source characterization. We find that emissions from the oil and gas sector account for 20% of regional methane, with 95% confidence limits of (0%, 51%). The experimental uncertainties bound the inventory apportionment of 1.9%, though the central estimate of 20% exceeds this result by nearly 10 times. This study’s uncertainties demonstrate the need for additional research focusing on emissions apportionment, inventory refinement and offshore platforms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 207-229
Author(s):  
Diana B. Loomer ◽  
Kerry T.B. MacQuarrie ◽  
Tom A. Al

Isotopic analyses of natural gas from the Stoney Creek oil field in New Brunswick indicate carbon (δ13C) and hydrogen (δ2H) values in methane (C1) of -42.4 ± 0.7‰ VPDB and -220.9 ± 3.2‰ VSMOW, respectively. Isotopic data and a gas molecular ratio of 12 ± 1 indicate a wet thermogenic gas formed with oil near the onset of the oil-gas transition zone. The isotopic profiles of the C1–C5 hydrocarbon gases are consistent with kinetic isotope effect models. The Albert Formation of the Horton Group hosts the Stoney Creek oil field (SCOF) and the McCully gas field (MCGF) the only other gas-producing field in the province. Both are thermogenic in origin; however, the SCOF gas has a lower thermal maturity than the MCGS. Hydrocarbon gas composition in shallow aquifers across southeastern New Brunswick was also evaluated. Gas source interpretations based on δ13C and δ2H values are uncertain; oxidation and biogenic overprinting are common and complicate interpretation. The effect of oxidation on δ13C and δ2H values was apparent when C1 concentrations were ≤1 mg/L. In some samples with C1 concentrations >5 mg/L, isotopic discrimination methods point to a biogenic origin. However, the molecular ratios <75 and the presence of >C3 fractions, indicate a thermogenic origin. This suggests a thermogenic isotopic signature has been overprinted by biological activity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1172-1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuo Ning ◽  
Ze He ◽  
Sheng Zhang ◽  
Miying Yin ◽  
Yaci Liu ◽  
...  

Propane-oxidizing bacteria in surface soils are often used to indicate the position of oil and gas reservoirs. As a potential replacement for the laborious traditional culture-dependent counting method, we applied real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction detection as a quick and accurate technology for quantification of propane-oxidizing bacteria. The propane monooxygenase gene was set as the target and the assay is based on SYBR Green I dye. The detection range was from 9.75 × 108 to 9.75 × 101 gene copies/µl, with the lowest detected concentration of 9.75 copies/µl. All coefficient of variation values of the threshold cycle in the reproducibility test were better than 1%. The technique showed good sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. We also quantified the propane-oxidizing bacteria in soils from three vertical 250 cm profiles collected from an oil field, a gas field, and a nonoil gas field using the established technique. The results indicated that the presence of propane monooxygenase A genes in soils can indicate an oil or gas reservoir. Therefore, this technique can satisfy the requirements for microbial exploration of oil and gas.


1984 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
H. T. Pecanek ◽  
I. M. Paton

The Tirrawarra Oil and Gas Field, discovered in 1970 in the South Australian portion of the Cooper Basin, is the largest onshore Permian oil field in Australia. Development began in 1981 as part of the $1400 million Cooper Basin Liquids ProjectThe field is contained within a broad anticline bisected by a north-south sealing normal fault. This fault divides the Tirrawarra oil reservoir into the Western and Main oil fields. Thirty-four wells have been drilled, intersecting ten Patchawarra Formation sandstone gas reservoirs and the Tirrawarra Sandstone oil reservoir. Development drilling discovered three further sandstone gas reservoirs in the Toolachee Formation.The development plan was based on a seven-spot pattern to allow for enhanced oil recovery by miscible gas drive. The target rates were 5400 barrels of oil (860 kilolitres) per day with 13 million ft3 (0.37 million m3) per day of associated gas and 70 million ft3 (2 million m') per day of wet, non-associated gas. Evaluation of early production tests showed rapid decline. The 100 ft (30 m) thick, low-permeability Tirrawarra oil reservoir was interpreted as an ideal reservoir for fracture treatment and as a result all oil wells have been successfully stimulated, with significant improvement in well production rates.The oil is highly volatile but miscibility with carbon dioxide has been proven possible by laboratory tests, even though the reservoir temperature is 285°F (140°C). Pilot gas injection will assess the feasibility of a larger-scale field-wide pressure maintenance scheme using miscible gas. Riot gas injection wells will use Tirrawarra Field Patchawarra Formation separator gas to defer higher infrastructure costs associated with the alternative option of piping carbon dioxide from Moomba, the nearest source.


1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Bitner-Gregersen ◽  
J. Lereim ◽  
I. Monnier ◽  
R. Skjong

A quantitative analysis of economic risk associated with large investments in offshore oil and gas field development and production is presented. The analysis is intended as a supporting tool in decision-making faced with uncertainty and risk, to study the effect of alternative decisions in an easy manner. The descriptors for the project assessment, such as the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Net Present Value (NPV) are applied. The study demonstrates first the impacts of early pilot production (EPP) prior to a main oil field development on the field economy of an oil field development and production installation. Furthermore, the result of cases which reflect relevant situations connected with cost overruns are presented, as well as derivation of rational decision criteria for termination/continuation of a project subjected to cost overruns. Finally, an oil field development project scheduling is demonstrated.


Author(s):  
Matthieu Vierling ◽  
Michel Moliere ◽  
Paul Glaser ◽  
Richard Denolle ◽  
Sathya Nayani ◽  
...  

Abstract Gas turbines are often the master pieces of the utilities that power Oil and Gas (O&G) installations as they most often operate in off-grid mode and must reliably deliver the electric power and the steam streams required by all the Exploration/Production (EP) or refining processes. In addition to reliability, fuel flexibility is an important score card of gas turbines since they must permanently accommodate the type of fuel which is available on the particular O&G site. For instance, during the operation of an associated gas field, crude oil comes out from the well heads as the gas reserves are declining or depleted. The utility gas turbine must then be capable to successively burn natural gas and crude oil and often to co-fire both fuels. An important feature of crude oils is that their combustion tends to emit significantly more particulate matter (PM) than do distillate oil and natural gas as they contain some heavier hydrocarbon ends. Taking account of the fact that some alternative liquid fuels emit more particulates matter (PM) than distillate oils, GE has investigated a class of soot suppressant additives that have been previously tested on light distillate oil (No 2 DO). As a continuation of this development, these products have been field-tested at an important refining site where several Frame 6B gas turbines have been converted from natural gas to crude oil with some units running in cofiring mode. This field test showed that proper injections of these fuel additives, at quite moderate concentration levels, enable a substantial abatement of the PM emissions and reduction of flue gas opacity. This paper outlines the main outcomes of this field campaign and consolidates the overall results obtained with this smoke suppression technology.


Subject Senegalese gas scandal. Significance A high-profile scandal implicating President Macky Sall's brother Aliou continues to prompt controversy. A BBC documentary aired last month alleging an improper relationship between controversial Romanian-Australian businessman Frank Timis and Aliou surrounding offshore natural gas field licences. Impacts The scandal may dent Senegal’s democratic credentials but is unlikely to dampen overall interest in the burgeoning oil and gas sector. Concerns will mount that Sall is gradually instituting a form of ‘civil authoritarianism’, with a growing clampdown on dissent. The youthful Ousmane Sonko, who placed third in the February elections, could use the scandal to bolster his anti-corruption credentials. Fears may grow that Sall could ultimately pursue a third-term bid, using a new 2016 constitution as his validation.


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