Novatek Set to Dock Second LNG Unit at Sanctioned Arctic Plant

(Bloomberg) -- Russian gas producer Novatek PJSC seems to be pushing ahead with an expansion project at its Arctic LNG 2 plant despite Western energy sanctions. 

A small fleet of tug vessels towing a second production train has approached the site of the plant on Saturday, according to ship-tracking data. The platform left the construction site near Murmansk on July 25, taking a three-week journey across the eastern Arctic to arrive to the productions area, where the first train is already operating, the ship-tracking data shows.

Arctic LNG 2 is a key pillar of Russia’s strategy to expand in liquefied natural gas, a growing global market that could help Moscow offset lower piped-gas flows following its invasion of Ukraine. The US slapped sanctions on the facility last year, aiming to cut the energy revenues fueling the Kremlin’s war machine.

The restrictions prevented delivery of the ice-class tankers needed to export the LNG, delaying shipments by months. But satellite images show two vessels recently left the plant, suggesting Russia has managed to circumvent the curbs using a shadow fleet.

The second platform seems identical to the first one, with a length of around 330 meters (1,083 feet) and a width of around 150 meters, according to satellite images from Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem. The first train, delivered to the production site a year ago, had a weight of some 640 thousand tons and was the heaviest object ever moved in the history of the global LNG industry, according to Novatek. 

It’s unclear when output from the new unit may begin, but the first train took more than four months to start up following its arrival at the site on the Gydan peninsula a year ago. A similar schedule would mean LNG from the new facility may flow in December, in keeping with Novatek’s target for a 2024 launch.

Exports from the unit may not start until next summer, once warmer weather means ice-class tankers again aren’t needed, according to Kpler Ltd.

“Kpler Insight expects the second production train won’t start lifting cargoes until summer 2025, when the Northern Sea Route reopens and conventional vessels can again be used to load,” said Laura Page, an analyst at the research firm.

Novatek didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Arctic LNG 2 was initially designed to have three production trains, with a total capacity of 19.8 million tons a year. Yet sanctions have effectively put the third unit on hold, according to TotalEnergies SE, which owns a 10% stake in the project.  

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