Gazprom’s NIIgazekonomika research center is preparing a feasibility study on the volume of underground gas storage capacity required along Russia’s so-called Northern Gas Transport Corridor, the company said.
The Northern Corridor includes the trunk gas pipelines for the following connections: Bovanenkovo-Ukhta-Torzhok; Northern Tyumen-Torzhok; Gryazovets-Leningrad; Gryazovets-Vyborg; Serpukhov-Leningrad; and Leningrad-Vyborg-Border. It also includes and the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
An assessment will be carried out on the possibility of expanding the existing Punginsky, Nevsky, and Gatchinsky storage facilities, Gazprom said.
The northern gas transmission corridor is a network of pipelines meant to supply gas Gazprom’s from Yamal LNG plant to Russia’s central and northwestern regions.
Gazprom’s oil arm, Gazprom Neft has also taken steps to develop the company’s Arctic ventures. Last week, the Russian oil major launched a new icebreaker, the Alexander Sannikov, planned to support tankers going from the Yamal Peninsula along the Northern Sea Route, the company said.
The Alexander Sannikov is the first icebreaker to be built under the Arctic Time program. Six tankers have already been launched under the program, the company said in a statement. The new vessel will begin regular voyages in August.
The launch of the vessel comes at a time when Gazprom Neft is planning to invest in developing infrastructure at the Arctic onshore Novy Port oil field at the Yamal Peninsula, to maximize production of all hydrocarbons there. As such, the company is banking on developing an Arctic fleet.
