IA SakhaNews. An amazing feeling - to be involved in the construction of the "Power of Siberia"! 40 years ago, probably, with the same inspiration, journalists wrote about BAM, YuYATPK, the construction of the city of Neryungri ...
The "Power of Siberia" is a grandiose construction in its scale, and, of course, it concerns not only South Yakutia, but has, without exaggeration, world significance. The correspondent of IA SakhaNews visited the grandiose construction site, which is deployed in the South Yakut taiga, and today we offer his report to our readers.
START OF CONSTRUCTION
Active work on the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline in the Neryungri district began exactly a year ago - in February 2017. The total length of the pipeline will be 2 158,5 kilometers, of which 1 290,7 kilometers will pass through the territory of Yakutia, and 260 kilometers - through the territory of the Neryungri region. Last year, the Krasnodargazstroy company built temporary camps in Iyengra, Chulman, Bolshoi Khatymi and Maly Nimnyr. In total, Krasnodargazstroy, a subsidiary of LLC Stroygazmontazh, puts 1 124 kilometers of the main gas pipeline through the Aldan and Neryungri regions, and also partially through the Amur region to China. In other areas, Lengazspetsstroy and Gazregion are also involved in construction, but only Krasnodar people work for us.
In general, of course, it all started even earlier. Instruction to Gazprom to work out a gas pipeline project with the working title "Yakutia - Khabarovsk - Vladivostok" President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin gave in October 2012. A competition was held for the best name for the gas pipeline, and on December 27, 2012, the winning name was announced - "The Power of Siberia". In May 2014 Gazprom and Chinese company CNPC (well known to non-Ryungrinites through the main oil pipeline "Eastern Siberia - the Pacific Ocean") signed a contract for 30 years to supply gas to China.
According to the contract, 38 billion cubic meters of gas should be supplied per year, the total amount of the contract is 400 billion dollars.
On September 1, 2014, Vladimir Putin launched the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. It is curious that this happened in Yakutsk, in the area of Us Khatyn. We regularly visit Ysyakh Tuymaada there, but the gas pipeline, strictly speaking, will not pass through this sacred place. However, the ceremony of welding the first joint was of great symbolic importance, because this is a vital construction site for the whole of Yakutia.
Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk is responsible for the construction of the Power of Siberia on the part of the Gazprom Group. With the CEO of this organization Anatoly Titov We managed to talk in the evening of the same day.
The route of the route is laid along the operating main oil pipeline "Eastern Siberia - the Pacific Ocean", including in the Neryungri region. This allows you to optimize the cost of infrastructure and energy supply.
The pipe diameter is 1 420 mm, working pressure - 9,8 MPa. Eight compressor stations are under construction. Including five in the territory of Yakutia. The throughput should be 38 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
The main resource base for the "Power of Siberia" are two deposits in Yakutia - Chayandinskoye with reserves 1.2 trillion cubic meters and Kovykta - 1.5 trillion cubic meters. It is planned that the Chayandinskoye field will produce up to 25 billion cubic meters of gas and not less 1.5 million tons of oil.
The start of gas production is scheduled for December 2018, and the first export deliveries to China are scheduled for the end of 2019.
Since August 2014, for the implementation of construction and design work more than 25 contractors. The total amount of announced tenders amounted to more than 184 billion rubles.
This is only about the first stage of construction of the gas pipeline. On the second one, a section will be built from the Kovykta field in the Irkutsk region to the Chayandinskoye field - about 800 km. At the third stage, it is planned to expand gas transmission capacities in the section from the Chayandinskoye field to Blagoveshchensk. But this is already a matter of the 20s, and we are still in 2018.
COZY ROOM
We are driving from Neryungri to the taiga on a cozy and surprisingly comfortable shift for this class of vehicles from Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk. Gazprom shifts are different from what we saw before - made on the basis of KamAZ, it is more comfortable and modern. The rules for transporting people are very strict. You can only ride here while sitting, all passengers are fixed with seat belts. No standing passengers.
The technological road is uneven, although quite passable, especially in winter, when it is not washed away by rains. On the street minus 40 but the car is warm and cozy. Large bright windows. Powerful electric oven in case of frost and air conditioning in case of heat. The driver sees absolutely everything that happens in the cabin for about 25 man using a video camera. So, if during an unforeseen stop someone starts to get ready for the exit, the driver announces over the radio: "Until we leave".
In the city, he sits on a shift with us Alexander Rakushin- First Deputy Head of the Department of RUSO in Neryungri. It should be noted that today OOO Gazprom transgaz Tomsk operates one linear production department of main gas pipelines (LPUMG) in Lensk in Yakutia, as well as three regional departments for the construction of facilities (RUSO) - in Olekminsk, Aldan and Neryungri. From him we learn the first, general information about the main gas pipeline under construction.
Vakhtovka cheerfully drives first through the city, then turns onto Berkakit, leaving for the Amur-Yakutsk highway. Halfway between Berkakit and Iyengra, the car turns left, and here, in the parking lot, we are met by the project manager of Krasnodargazstroy LLC Alexey Ivantsov. Further without him, no shift will pass. He will accompany us all the way to the gas pipeline. But you can ask him any questions, and he seems to know the answer to any of them.
But first, Alexey Valentinovich conducts a mandatory safety briefing. We sign in a special magazine.
Further about 15 minutes we go deep into the taiga. We cross an incomprehensible structure covered with snow in an endless forest clearing, along which a power line is installed. It is here that we learn for the first time that this is nothing but the main oil pipeline "Eastern Siberia - the Pacific Ocean" built eight or ten years ago, and also before our eyes. It works completely unnoticed by prying eyes, and, I must say, does not interfere with any movements of the inhabitants of the taiga.
CORRIDOR AND ROADS
This is where our first question to specialists arises: is it true that the Power of Siberia gas pipeline is being built in the “corridor” of the already operating main oil pipeline “Eastern Siberia - the Pacific Ocean”? "Truth, - Alexander Olegovich Rakushin answers. - In the Neryungri region, the distance between two wire systems is approximately one and a half to fifteen kilometers.
That is, by the standards of the thousand-kilometer distances of the taiga, very close. But in reality, "construction in the same corridor" with the ESPO is, of course, a rather arbitrary concept. You cannot jump from one pipe to another, and you will not see another pipe.
Therefore, everything here is actually being done anew, and a clearing in the taiga is being cut of its own. The only thing that can be used from the main oil pipeline is part of the technological roads, which, of course, makes the task of builders a little easier and allows you to slightly optimize the costs of infrastructure and energy supply.
The entire Neryungri region is a deaf taiga, swamps, numerous streams and rivers, steep slopes of hills. And the most difficult thing is the complete absence of roads, which have not been in the taiga since the day the world was created. The technological roads built earlier should help the builders of the Power of Siberia. This is how it generally works. And yet, practitioners say that everything is not so simple. Gas workers complain that the oil workers have chosen the best route, and they have to use, as it were, what is “remaining”.
The specifics of the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline is the lack of entrances to the linear route. Today, the design institute is considering options on how to ensure the delivery of pipes, materials and equipment. The project also provides for the construction of a road along the route, through which materials and equipment will be delivered for the construction of crane units and radio relay communication points and their further operation. In addition, it is necessary to understand that the route in the Neryungri region (and in many other areas of Yakutia) runs in a difficult mountainous area, where the steepness of the slopes sometimes reaches 33-34 degrees.
That is, in any case, without additional work builders can't help it. It takes a lot to blow up, cut, smooth slopes so that machinery can work on them.
CLEARING AND PIPES
Meanwhile, after driving around 15 minutes deep into the taiga, our shift turns right. For about half an hour we drive along a wide forest clearing, in which the future gas pipeline will be built. Along the way, we ask experts how it all began here.
In general, what is the construction of a gas pipeline in general? Briefly describe all the stages, they are route clearing, trenching, pipe delivery, double-pipe welding, lash welding, seam control, isolation, insulation control, laying preparation, pipe laying, backfilling and so on. There are many other related operations. At each stage - the strictest control. And even after the construction is completed, there is still a set of works to be done on the construction of crane units, energy facilities, automation, electrochemical protection, communications, the continuation of the construction of bases for linear production departments main gas pipelines and compressor stations.
The construction of the future gas pipeline began with the execution of afforestation (clearing) on the route within the boundaries of the right of way. Then the topsoil is cut.
Even on a relatively flat part of the route, digging trenches is not complete without drilling and blasting - in our taiga there is a lot of rock and permafrost. Rocky stone richly lies both in depth and on the surface.
Few people even from the inhabitants of the Neryungri district know that we live, it turns out, on the territory of “stone rivers”. These are the so-called kurums - clusters of blocks. The Neryungri landscape is densely dotted with spots of kurums. Nothing grows on them, because the stones are constantly in motion. It is very slow, but it is enough to grind any plant into dust.
The builders of the gas pipeline know this, and their task is to take measures so that the kurums do not “wipe” the gas pipeline off the face of the earth. Everything must be perfect, and even the slightest damage to the structure of the main gas pipeline is absolutely unacceptable here.
The afforestation works include such operations as clearing the road from forests and shrubs, cutting steep longitudinal slopes (slopes), which are many in our area. Carrying out protective anti-landslide and anti-landslide measures, carrying out measures to ensure minimal freezing of the soil. A large amount of work is the construction of temporary roads, culverts, drainage and drainage facilities at the entrances to the highway and along it, as well as bridges and crossings over rivers, streams, ravines. Access roads are protected from snow drifts.
Temporary bases and warehouses for storing materials and equipment were arranged even earlier.
The second stage is transport and loading and unloading operations. On the technological road, along which we traveled for about an hour on a shift, every now and then we meet loaded Tatras. These vehicles carry technological cargo.
For the construction of the main gas pipeline, pipes, pipe sections, shut-off valves (cocks, valves), large-sized reinforced concrete products, insulating materials, installation equipment, mechanisms and other special cargoes are delivered to and transported along it. The main volume of transported goods is, of course, the pipes themselves and pipe sections. Pipes - beautiful, securely closed on both sides with plugs and in blue polyethylene - are driven by special cars - pipe carriers. We also visited the temporary storage base where the pipes are stored. It is located next to Berkakit station.
Pipe sections delivered to the production site installation work are usually unloaded from Vehicle pipelayers.
Two words about pipes. All of them are steel, Russian-made, including those produced by the Vyksa Metallurgical Plant and the Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant. Those that are now used in the Neryungri region, and we have seen them, are made by the Izhora Pipe Plant (St. Petersburg). These pipes have the most smooth coating inside. This technology reduces energy costs for gas transportation by reducing the roughness of the pipe and, accordingly, friction. External pipe insulation is made of new nanocomposite materials to ensure high corrosion resistance of the gas pipeline. Given that the Neryungri district belongs to regions with increased seismic activity, we use pipes with increased deformation capacity. There are also special technical solutions for their installation, which we will not go into, experts know them.
Almost simultaneously with the delivery and loading and unloading, earthworks are taking place at the construction site. This includes the creation of a shock-absorbing sand lining under the gas pipeline, dike, backfilling and reclamation. After laying out the route of the section of the main gas pipeline under construction and performing preparatory work, a shock-absorbing pad is constructed. The lining is constructed from imported sand, followed by compaction of the layers. The thickness of the shock-absorbing pad varies between 100-150 mm and must completely cover sharp stones, pieces of hard soil, etc. that can damage the factory anti-corrosion coating.
LAYING AND WELDING
And finally, here we are. South Yakut taiga, a few tens of kilometers northwest of Iengra, approximately 1212th kilometer of the main gas pipeline "Power of Siberia". The work here is going very well. There are not so many people, but those who are are top-class specialists, each movement of which is literally perfected. Also, the technique works clearly, which you can just admire here, getting literally aesthetic pleasure.
As we understood, two groups of specialists are working on the pipeline under construction. The first call themselves linemen - they make only the linear part of the gas pipeline, leaving gaps at the intersection of roads and utilities. The second - the so-called explosive brigades and brigades of piercers. They are engaged in crossings under railways and roads, as well as water obstacles.
Almost all of these people are highly qualified specialists. Since the main oil and gas pipelines in Neryungri are built, to put it mildly, not every day, these people in the region, as they say, are passing through. Most of them have been working at Gazprom for many years - they built gas pipelines in all corners of our country and even abroad. They will build it in the Neryungrinsky district - they will go further. The gas pipeline is very long, thousands of kilometers.
Welding looks very impressive on a gas pipeline under construction, which completely breaks all our previous ideas about this process. The welders working on the Power of Siberia gas pipeline here are closer in their functions to computer scientists than to a man in a mask with smoked glass. In their hands they have a remote control with buttons, and not a welding machine with an electrode. Before your eyes - a bunch of complex devices, almost like in an airplane.
So what do we see here in place? Huge pipe of the largest possible diameter - 1 420 mm. Equipment digs a trench for laying a gas pipeline. In parallel with the development of the trench in the finished areas, a sand cushion is being installed at the bottom of the trench. The cushion protects the pipeline insulation from damage during laying, and at the same time acts as a damper in the event of frost heaving of the soil.
Almost simultaneously with earthworks, the removal and laying of pipes on the route is carried out. The pipes are very carefully (one might say, gently) laid on soil prisms, which should not contain rock inclusions and wood residues so that the insulation does not get damaged.
The pipeline is welded into the so-called whips by automatic welding complexes. In one shift, at least 12 joints are welded into so-called lashes of various lengths. Here, as they say, options are possible. According to experts, on straight and flat sections with pipe lengths from 9 before 11,5 meters, the length of one lash can reach almost a kilometer. But we have not seen such lashes with our own eyes.
After welding the lashes, the preparation of the lash for laying begins. To do this, welded joints are isolated, sandblasting of the joint from rust and dirt is carried out. A special two-component mastic is applied, the joint is heated and the heat-shrinkable cuff is fixed.
Heating is done by induction coils. After that, the finished lash is laid in a trench and then protected with sand sprinkling.
Before backfilling, the pipeline is ballasted with weights. Ballasting of pipelines is a method of securing pipelines with the help of weighting loads or concreting when laying them on swampy or flooded soils.
There is also such a thing as ground protection screens (GZE). The purpose of the GZE, which at first I simply called "grids", was explained to me by the first deputy head of the department of RUSO Alexander Rakushin.
After the completion of the backfill, the pipeline is finally covered with soil, with a roller device. But it will be a little later, things have not yet reached this stage in the Neryungri district.
After welding, laying and backfilling, the main gas pipeline must be cleaned, tested for strength and checked for tightness. But this will happen at the very end of construction, that is, already in the future 2019.
FLOW METHOD
Work on the construction of the gas pipeline is organized by the so-called in-line method, simultaneously, in different sections. For this, special divisions are formed within the construction and installation department - complex technological flows (CFT). It's kind of like construction sites. Moreover, each of them is independent and equipped with everything necessary for work.
In fact, each complex technological flow is a site living in one of the four camps. In the summer of 2017, we went, for example, to the section of the gas pipeline behind Chulman. You need to go there first from Neryungri to Chulman, then a few kilometers from Chulman along the road to Nakhot, well known to the Neryungri people. Approximately in the middle of the road to "Nakhot" you need to turn into the taiga and about 10 kilometers to overcome in the taiga.
The place where we were now, in winter, belongs to the complex technological stream No. 3, the rotational camp of which is located one and a half kilometers from Iengra. However, in the Neryungri district, one organization, LLC Krasnodargazstroy, is working on the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline in all four sections-KTP. The first specialists of this company arrived in Chulman at the end of 2016. In Iyengra, active work began in February 2017. At about the same time - in Khatymi and Maly Nimnyr.
At all four sites in South Yakutia, about 2 thousand specialists and almost a thousand pieces of equipment. At the same time, Stroygazmontazh, to which Krasnodargazstroy belongs, has been increasing the pace of construction throughout the past year. In December of the year, he reached peak loading.
Experts say that work on the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline is faster and easier in winter than in summer. Less natural obstacles in the form of heavy rains, flooded streams, wetlands and so on. The only restriction: the work is carried out at an air temperature not lower than 45 degrees of frost. I must say that it is usually colder “on the pipe” than in the city, and such temperatures have already happened in the Neryungri region this winter. At minus 45 technology stops. But such downtime due to weather conditions at a well-organized construction site is not so frequent.
As already mentioned, four shift camps for the builders of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline have been built in the Neryungri region. Villages are, of course, different. Although they are all located outside the settlements, in the taiga, but in Chulman, for example, civilization is close. Near a relatively large village with people and shops. But, for example, the village of Maly Nimnyr in the Aldan region, where another workers' settlement was built near Krasnodargazstroy, is a completely abandoned area. To the nearest signs of civilization - 40 kilometers. Sometime in Soviet time Nimnyr was a settlement of geologists, in addition, former prisoners lived here. The place of the town was chosen here for two reasons: firstly, the Lena highway passes nearby, and secondly, there are preserved electrical networks.
In Iyengra, civilization is very close to the town of builders of the main gas pipeline. The village is no more than one kilometer away, the Lena federal highway is absolutely nearby. Electricity is fine too. But still, people have to travel about 30 kilometers to work. This is about an hour one way, because, you see, the speed of shift workers on technological roads is not so high.
But even these shift camps are temporary. When the areas where work is carried out move away from the base for a considerable distance, the base moves, as they say, "following the pipe" to a new location. Our shift camps, apparently, have yet to undergo this procedure. The main gas pipeline will be built for almost two more years.
ALL VILLAGES
On the whole, the builders of the Power of Siberia main gas pipeline deployed very actively in the Neryungri region, "marking" themselves with their capacities in almost every settlement. We have already talked about the towns in Chulman, Iyengra, Khatymi and Maly Nimnyr. There is a temporary storage base in Berkakit, where the pipes arriving at the station for the Power of Siberia are stored and sorted. In Serebryany Bor, in the immediate vicinity of the Neryungri GRES, there is now a temporary office and a canteen for the company's employees.
And at the exit from Neryungri to the Amur-Yakutsk mainline, there is a construction base for the linear production department of Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk LLC. Now there are still a few wagons and a helipad on which the helicopter landed, which arrived to meet us from Aldan CEO companies Anatoly Titov. Until the end of 2019, in the same place, in the immediate vicinity of the village of Serebryany Bor, an office of the Neryungri management of the company will be built.
It is OOO Gazprom transgaz Tomsk that will ensure the operation of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. Accordingly, after 2019, it will hire local personnel - not just for construction, but for permanent work on the Power of Siberia gas pipeline.
Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk is a subsidiary of PJSC Gazprom headquartered in Tomsk. The Company ensures the operation of gas transmission systems in 14 regions of Siberia and the Far East. Yakutia will become 15th region in 2019. The length of operated main oil and gas pipelines is more than 9 thousand kilometers. The annual volume of gas transported by the enterprise exceeds 19 billion cube m. OOO Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk includes 22 branch, including 16 linear production departments of main gas pipelines, 9 compressor stations, 1 NKS, 36 gas pumping units, 128 gas distribution stations, 11 automobile gas-filling compressor stations.
In the next publication of the SakhaNews news agency from the Power of Siberia gas pipeline under construction, we will talk about the work of the temporary storage base in Berkakit, about the meeting with the General Director of Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk Anatoly Titov, let's talk about salaries on the gas pipeline and employment prospects for local residents.
Oleg SOLODUKHIN.
Neryungri district, Yakutia.
In May 2014, Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) signed an agreement for the sale and purchase of Russian gas via the eastern route (the Power of Siberia gas pipeline). The contract was concluded for a period of 30 years and involves the supply of 38 billion cubic meters to China. m of gas per year.
In September 2014, Gazprom began construction of the first section of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, from the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia to Blagoveshchensk (border with China), with a length of about 2,200 km. At the second stage, a section from the Kovykta field in the Irkutsk region to the Chayandinskoye field will be built - about 800 km. It is planned that the field will be put into operation at the end of 2022. The third stage is the expansion of gas transmission capacities in the section from the Chayandinskoye field to Blagoveshchensk.
In September 2016, Gazprom and CNPC signed an EPC contract for the construction of an underwater crossing of the Power of Siberia cross-border section across the Amur River. The construction of the crossing from the Chinese side began in April 2017, and in May a temporary bilateral checkpoint across the Russian-Chinese border was opened to organize access and unhindered work of construction equipment and personnel in the border zone.
Russia and China are becoming close partners both in the economic sphere and in the foreign policy arena. Large-scale agreements are concluded between the states in terms of cooperation in the field of business. These include a gas contract for the supply of blue fuel to the PRC through the Power of Siberia pipeline.
What are the most notable facts about this project? What is the plan for the planned delivery of gas from Russia to China?
Basic information about the project
The Power of Siberia gas pipeline is supposed to be laid in China from Yakutia. Largest cities through which it will pass - Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, and also Vladivostok. The Power of Siberia project is among the top priorities for Gazprom. Relevant work will be carried out both on the Russian and Chinese sides. The gas pipeline will unite the fuel distribution systems in the Irkutsk and Yakutsk centers. It is noteworthy that the name of the project - "The Power of Siberia" - was determined by the Russian Federation based on the results of the competition.
It is assumed that the first section of the gas pipeline - from Yakutia to Khabarovsk, and then to Vladivostok - will be put into operation by the end of 2017. It can be noted that the route of the gas pipeline will run along the route of the oil pipeline running from Eastern Siberia towards the Pacific coast. This will significantly reduce the cost of building the necessary project infrastructure and energy supply.
Characteristics of the gas pipeline and scheme
The Power of Siberia project involves the construction of a gas pipeline with a length of about 4,000 km. It will be used for the withdrawal of natural gas, as we noted above, from two production centers at once - Irkutsk and Yakutsk, towards Khabarovsk. It is expected that the gas pipeline will become a powerful stimulus for the economic development of not only the Far East, but also the Asian part of the Russian Federation as a whole. This will be possible not only due to the growth of direct revenue and the creation of jobs at gas production and transport enterprises, but also due to an increase in the level of gasification of settlements and, as a result, opening up opportunities for launching new industries. These processes will be additionally stimulated through budgetary support, in particular, provided within the framework of the gas supply development program in Primorsky Krai.
The map of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline looks like this.
We see that the project implementation scheme involves the coverage of a vast territory. It will also be interesting to study the economic scale of the project.
Economic scale
The Power of Siberia gas pipeline is one of the largest projects in the entire history of the economic development of modern Russia. As is known, a large gas contract was signed between the Russian Federation and China, as a result of which Gazprom got the opportunity to reach new market with great potential. According to some reports, Russia will have to supply China with about 1 trillion cubic meters of gas for a total amount of about $400 billion. For comparison: Russian GDP PPP is about 3500 billion dollars. It is known that Gazprom's counterparty, China National Petroleum Corporation, will make an advance payment of about $25 billion before fuel supplies begin. Estimated throughput gas pipeline - about 38 billion cubic meters of gas annually. The intensity of fuel transportation corresponding to this indicator will be achieved, as expected, within 5 years from the date of the start of the first deliveries.
According to a number of experts, the Power of Siberia gas pipeline will be brought to design capacity by 2024. Now Russian enterprises are also engaged in the importation necessary materials and equipment. It is expected that during 2015 about 500-600 thousand tons of equipment will be delivered to the sites. Also in 2015, construction of the first stage of the gas pipeline is expected to begin.
Contract signing
The contract between the Russian Federation and China for the supply of fuel along the so-called eastern route was signed on October 13, 2014 at the level of the governments of both states. In accordance with this agreement, the key conditions for the partnership between Russia and China in terms of the project were determined, including in the aspect of design, construction, and operation of the transboundary zones of the gas pipeline. The construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline was transferred to the competence of two companies - the Russian Gazprom and CNPC (China National Oil and Gas Corporation).
The signing of a contract between the Russian Federation and China regarding the construction of the highway in question allowed our country to count on the diversification of blue fuel supplies. Now, according to analysts, there is a too strong dependence of Russian gas exports on sales to Europe. In addition, due to political disagreements between the Russian Federation and the West, difficulties may arise with the further development of partnership in the appropriate direction. Thus, the reorientation of gas exports to China is a step towards the much-needed diversification of supplies. China is a growing market with a developed industry that always needs large volumes of natural gas. The Russian Federation is one of the few suppliers who are ready to sell gas to China on a stable basis and at affordable prices.
Gas production resources
So, the Power of Siberia gas pipeline will supply China with fuel produced in the Irkutsk and Yakutsk centers. As for the first resource, it is assumed that gas will be produced at the Kovykta field. Fuel reserves in it are estimated at about 1.5 trillion cubic meters. As for the Yakutsk center, production will go to its reserves of about 1.2 trillion cubic meters.
Features of the construction of the gas pipeline
Thus, we see how powerful and large-scale the “Power of Siberia” gas pipeline is, including in terms of the name. Who is building it? Who is the implementation of this international project?
An interesting fact is that the general contractors of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline may not be involved. At least that's the view in the media. It is assumed that the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline will be carried out by contractors represented by small organizations. In this sense, Gazprom, as some analysts note, has changed its tactics - earlier, the Russian gas corporation still chose the lead partner. In the case of a project such as the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, contractors will perform local tasks.
Traditional scheme
The traditional scheme practiced by Gazprom involved the distribution of contracts within the framework of large lots, that is, the leading organization that was engaged in the construction of a particular section of the pipeline was determined. For example, the South Stream infrastructure, before it was reoriented to Turkey, was run by the Stroygazmontazh corporation. The European section of South Stream was to be built by Stroytransgaz. In turn, the Nord Stream project was implemented with the leading role of Stroygazconsulting.
Sanction factor
The well-established scheme, according to analysts, is not quite optimal in the current conditions, when sanctions have been imposed on the Russian Federation by Western countries. The point is that these Russian companies also come under them, as a result of which they cannot import certain varieties necessary equipment. In particular, these are Caterpillar equipment, as well as CRC-Evance type welding systems manufactured in the USA.
Guarantees criterion
Another version explaining the revision by Gazprom of its policy towards contractors is that for such large-scale projects, which is the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, the Russian Federation practices requirements for bank guarantees. Difficulties with those may have itself "Gazprom". The fact is that the largest Russian gas company during 2015 must transfer about 174.3 billion rubles to its creditors. This debt is not considered by analysts as too large for Gazprom, but now the corporation cannot attract long-term loans in case of a revenue shortfall.
There is information that 15 firms will be involved in the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. Among them, there is the Stroytransgaz company. Among other companies with which Gazprom may enter into contracts are EURACOR, Argus Spets Montazh, Irkutskneftegazstroy, SpetsMontazhProekt.
Estimated costs for the construction of the "Power of Siberia" - about 770 billion rubles. Of these, in particular, about 283 billion rubles will be invested in the economy of the Republic of Sakha.
Project estimates
So we've learned the basics economic indicators project. We also studied the map of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. What are the assessments of the prospects of the corresponding project among Russian analysts?
In general, experts agree that the Power of Siberia is an example of a successful international partnership. The fact is that this gas pipeline is equally needed by both Russia and China. In the political context, the project, as analysts believe, contributed to the further strengthening of allied relations between the two states.
Evaluated by experts extremely positively. Gazprom's revenue from fuel supplies, as we noted above, will amount to about $400 billion. The corresponding regions of the Russian Federation will receive a significant incentive for economic development, both in terms of investment inflows and in terms of building new infrastructure, including industrial infrastructure.
There is a version that the main consumers of gas in the world in the medium term will be India and China. "The Power of Siberia" is a project that in this sense is completely relevant in terms of correlation with world economic trends. According to some estimates, in 2020 the dynamics of gas consumption in China will reach about 420 billion cubic meters.
Russia and China, having signed an agreement on the supply of blue fuel, have opened up opportunities for expanding partnerships in the border regions. Due to the presence of a new infrastructure, the Russian Federation will be able to effectively develop new natural deposits, which are rich in Siberia and the Far East. Opportunities will open up in terms of import substitution, increase in volumes industrial production region.
The construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline is expected to become a positive factor in the development of the Siberian and Far Eastern regions as a whole, including social aspect. Citizens living in the respective parts of Russia will receive new opportunities for employment, business, and education.
Incentive to invest
The growth of the economy of Siberia and the Far East will predetermine, as analysts expect, the growth of investor interest in these regions. At the same time, it is expected that not only businessmen from China, which is very close, but also from other states, in particular, South Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore, will operate in the respective territories. A noticeable reorientation of the priorities of domestic investors is expected. Many of them are now investing in foreign projects, and it is quite possible that their capital will also be directed to the economy of Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation. This can also be facilitated by the sanctions restrictions that apply to Russian enterprises.
The ceremony of connecting the first link of the pipeline, which will become the main export channel for Russian gas to China, took place on September 1. In addition, the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline will contribute to the gasification of the Russian regions of Siberia and the Far East. In the future, this will make it possible to unite the country's gas networks into a single whole.
Photo: AiFWhere will the gas be extracted from and where will it go?
The Power of Siberia will become a common gas transmission system for the Irkutsk and Yakutsk gas production centers and will transport gas through Khabarovsk to Vladivostok.
Construction of the gas pipeline "Power of Siberia". Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexey Nikolsky
Gas production will be carried out from the fields:
- Chayandinskoye field, gas reserves - 1.2 trillion cubic meters. m;
- Kovykta field, gas reserves - 1.5 trillion cubic meters. m.
Stages of gas pipeline construction:
1. Construction of the main gas pipeline "Yakutia - Khabarovsk - Vladivostok".
2. The Irkutsk center will be connected by a gas pipeline to the Yakutsk center.
The gas pipeline will be built almost entirely of pipes domestic production. About 11,700 specialists will be involved in the construction of the first stage of the Power of Siberia, and about 3,000 more people will operate the gas pipeline.
Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexey Nikolsky
The first section of the Yakutia-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok gas pipeline is planned to be put into operation at the end of 2017.
Technical characteristics of the "Power of Siberia":
- total length of about 4000 km:
- section "Yakutia - Khabarovsk - Vladivostok" - about 3200 km;
- section "Irkutsk region - Yakutia" - about 800 km;
- diameter - 1420 mm;
- working pressure - 9.8 MPa (100 atm.);
productivity - 61 billion cubic meters. m of gas per year.
Export potential
May 21, 2014 Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and President of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Zhou Jiping signed a contract for the supply of Russian pipeline gas to China. The contract for a period of 30 years provides for the export to China of 38 billion cubic meters. m of Russian gas per year.
The design capacity of the Power of Siberia is 37% of the capacity of all gas pipelines from Russia to Europe.
On Tuesday, March 31, on the "eastern route". The agreement was signed in Moscow on October 13, 2014. It defines the main conditions for cooperation between China and the Russian Federation in the energy sector.
See the AiF.ru infographic for the projected routes for the supply of natural gas from the Russian Federation to the PRC.
It is planned that the length of the gas pipeline will be 2.6 thousand km, of which:
- 206 km will pass through the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug;
- 338 km will pass through the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug;
- 821 km will pass through the Tomsk region;
- 241 km will pass along the Novosibirsk, and the last 1 thousand km - along the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic.
"Power of Siberia"
The Power of Siberia gas pipeline will pass through Khabarovsk and will connect production centers in the Irkutsk Region and Yakutia. The end point of the route will be Vladivostok.
The cost of building the Power of Siberia gas pipeline and organizing supplies from the Chayandinskoye field is estimated at about $30 billion.
The length of the pipeline will be about four thousand km. Estimated pipe diameter is 1420 mm.
"Altai"
The gas pipeline will run between gas fields in Western Siberia and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in western China. There it can connect with the Chinese East-West gas pipeline, which will bring gas to Shanghai.
The planned length of the gas pipeline is about 6,700 km, of which 2,600 km are to pass through Russia. Estimated pipe diameter is 1420 mm.
What did Gazprom and China's state oil and gas company CNPC agree on?
On May 21, 2014, the Russian gas holding Gazprom and China's state-owned oil and gas company CNPC signed a contract for the sale and purchase of natural gas with delivery via the eastern route.
The contract provides for the supply of 38 billion cubic meters of gas per year to China (after 2018, exports may increase to 60 billion cubic meters. For comparison, the EU countries buy about 125 billion cubic meters of gas from the Russian Federation, according to data for last year).
The agreement is valid for 30 years, and the value of the contract is $400 billion, Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller said. He did not name the base price for gas under the contract, citing a trade secret. But gas market experts have calculated that it is in the range of $360-390 per 1,000 cubic meters. For comparison, Gazprom sells fuel to Europe at an average price of $370-380 per 1,000 cubic meters.
To implement the project of gas supplies to the PRC, Russia will need investments in the amount of $55 billion (China - $22 billion), which will be directed to the development of fields and the construction of a gas pipeline.
According to Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, fuel supplies to China will begin in 4-6 years.
