Novatek to start up Yamal LNG train 3 by January 2019

Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer, Novatek, aims to start up its second and third liquefaction trains at the Yamal LNG project by January 2019. 

Speaking to media, Novatek’s CEO Leonid Mikhelson said the second liquefaction train at the Yamal LNG project is set to start up in September 2018, while the third train is planned for start-up in December 2018 or January 2019, Russian business news agency Prime said.

He noted that the second LNG train commissioning works started adding that commissioning for the third train to start at the end of the year.

The three trains are also expected to exceed the project’s planned production capacity of 16.5 mtpa and Mikhelson added a decision has been made to add a fourth train to be launched by early 2020.

The front-end engineering design for Novatek’s second project, the Arctic LNG-2 is expected to be completed in November while the investment decision on the Kamchatka LNG terminal project is expected between July and December.

Mikhelson was reported as saying the talks with the Japanese partners interested in participating in the Arctic LNG-2 project are well advance and planned for completion during this year.

The Arctic LNG-2 project on the Gydan peninsula is planned for start-up from 2022 to 2025.