Sakhalin gas for Primorye
Overview
Photos
September 8, 2011
The second week of September 2011 can be truly called the “gas week” – while the celebrations on the occasion of gas feeding into the first string of the Nord Stream gas pipeline were still underway near Vyborg, another no less significant event occurred on the other end of the country – the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline commissioning.
Alexey Miller and Vladimir Putin at celebrations dedicated to Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline commissioning. Photo by RIA Novosti
Going East
It was planned to hold the celebrations on the Russky Island in Primorye. Filled with scents of oriental plants, the exotic and humid air brings you to life after an exhausting nine-hour flight. It seems tropical after a fresh breeze of the Baltic Sea.
Alexey Miller and Vladimir Putin at celebrations dedicated to Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline commissioning. Photo by RIA Novosti
There is no escape here from the festive atmosphere – even the bus windows are generously decorated with gold silk draperies with peculiar tassel fringe. The East is fond of beauty.
Down the road we overtake a truck carrying propane-butane cylinders used in the household. A little while later the Primorye Krai citizens will be able to forget these red cylinders well-known since the Soviet times. They will soon get natural gas by just turning a tap of a gas stove. Besides, they will be able to breathe clean air. Isn’t it a good reason for celebration?
We will make it flourishing
Vladivostok somehow reminds us of Sochi with a great scope of construction work going on in the mountains. However, you won’t find barbeque stands on each and every corner here – this is not a resort, but a military city that was forbidden some time ago.
The Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline is being built to develop gas supply to the Khabarovsk Krai, arrange gas supply to the Primorye Krai including for the APEC 2012 Summit venues. Gazprom built the gas trunkline’s first startup complex with the annual capacity of 6 billion cubic meters at a record high pace – just over two years.
Welding first joint of Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline
Energy is supplied to Vladivostok from three main sources – CHPP-2, CHPP-1 and the Severnaya boiler house. Vladivostok CHPP-2 has been the first natural gas recipient in the Primorye Krai, later on, natural gas will arrive at the APEC 2012 facilities on the Russky Island. Early next year gas will also be supplied to CHPP-1 and Severnaya.
The old, but fast motorboat Yakov Butakov carries us from Vladivostok to the Russky Island some 3 kilometers. Keeping in mind the recent nonsense situation with sharks that appeared in the local waters, we are looking for triangular fins to tickle our nerves with no avail, however.
The entire Russky Island is not yet flourishing. But when you see the campus of the future Far Eastern Federal University, you start feeling envy of the students who will come here. There are huge rooms and lobbies in it. You don’t have the heart to call it the sanctuary of sciences for the saying is really hackneyed. But nothing else comes into your mind – this is really a sanctuary of sciences. The imagination suddenly depicts crowds of young and bold, fussy and curious students from all countries of Asia-Pacific.
The granite embankment offers a lovely view of the Peter the Great Bay, which harbors a real huge sailing ship – the Nadezhda school ship. However, the fume emitted by the pipes of the coal-fired CHPP spoils the landscape and looks like a nuclear mushroom cloud.
“Here is the local CHPP-2 fuming badly. Over there, we can see the awful fumes coming out of the pipes,” noted Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the gas pipeline commissioning ceremony. “Natural gas has arrived at this CHPP today – gas will be supplied to four large thermal power stations and four minor power stations here, on the Russky Island,” Prime Minister said.
CHPP-2 of Vladivostok covers around 80 per cent of electricity demand and 60 per cent of heat demand in the Primorye Krai capital. According to estimates, conversion of the facility to natural gas will help cut down the hazardous emissions to the specified level as natural gas is the most environmentally clean fossil fuel and doesn’t emit soot or sulfur when burnt. It also produces smaller amounts of nitrogen and carbon.
More than ecology
“Today we are having a significant and meaningful event for the Primorye Krai: Sakhalin gas has arrived in Primorye. This is really important as such an energy source has never existed here before,” emphasized the Russian Prime Minister.
Vladimir Putin thinks that in addition to settling the environmental issues, natural gas use as a motor fuel will positively affect housing and utility tariffs. “I strongly believe that the regional and local authorities will take all necessary measures to ensure that today’s commissioning will influence the prices and the housing and utility tariffs for the local citizens,” he said highlighting that the arrived gas was four times cheaper than fuel oil that the region was still purchasing.
Vladimir Putin at celebrations dedicated to welding first joint of Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline
At last, natural gas supply to the region, according to Vladimir Putin, will create new conditions for regional development. “Our major companies will launch new businesses here and, this is very significant, create new well-paid jobs as the energy sector is the basis for advancement,” he pointed out. “I remember coming here several years ago and I drove a jeep here on the forest roads of the Russky Island. Now, a city has almost been erected here, on the basis of the energy sector, of course,” the Government Chairman shared his memories.
“Sakhalin gas has arrived in Primorye. It will advance the region and directly serve the interests of the Russians who live here,” he declared.
Aiming for future
The new gas pipeline will supply gas to the Far Eastern consumers, it will also make possible to build new machine-building, gas chemical and gas processing facilities here. Moreover, this offers opportunities for gas supplies to Asia-Pacific, noted Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee. Gazprom has made the relevant estimates.
Once gas consumption grows, the linear part from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Khabarovsk will be expanded and the total throughput will be increased through commissioning of additional facilities at the Sakhalin main compressor station as well as construction of another 13 compressor stations. At full capacity the system will annually convey around 30 billion cubic meters of Sakhalin gas.
“Next year construction of a gas pipeline from Yakutia will be launched to raise the energy safety in the region and ensure stability and security of the region,” said Vladimir Putin.
Awaiting the commissioning ceremony in the teleconference format, the operator of Gazprom transgaz Tomsk was rehearsing his address to the Prime Minister from the operator room of the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline. By his stumbling and anxiety it was clear that the man was a gas worker, but not an actor. Nevertheless, he played his part well.
The Prime Minister pressed a symbolical button and the long-expected gas run into Primorye.