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More oil aiming for Arctic waters

Gazprom-Neft plans to have its Novoportovskoye project in Yamal in full production in 2016.

The Novoportovskoye field will bring up to 8,5 million tons of additional crude into Arctic shipping.

Location

Arctic offshore drilling might have got a blow, but several major mainland projects are going forward full speed. Among them is Gazprom Neft’s Novoportovskoye, a project unfolding on the eastern shore of the Yamal Peninsula.

When launched full-scale in 2016, the Novoportovskoye will have the capacity to deliver an annual 8,5 million tons of oil to the world market. All of it will be delivered by sea, most of it westwards through the Barents Sea, and some of it eastwards along the Northern Sea Route.

As reported by Gazprom Neft, the company now starts the laying of a second pipeline from the field production site in the Yamal Peninsula to Cape Kamenny, the project sea port and terminal along the Ob Bay. The pipeline will be 105 km long and have a 5,5 million ton capacity. It will be placed on special support pillars able to withstand a possible future melting of the surrounding permafrost tundra, the company informs in a press release.

Gazprom Neft in 2014 completed construction of the first project pipeline with 600,000 tons capacity and a test outshipment took place that same year. According to Finmark.ru, the company in late 2014 confirmed a 5 billion rouble credit from Gazprom Bank, which enables it to proceed with project developments.

The Novoportovskoye field holds more than 250 million tons of oil and 320 billion cubic meters of gas. Oil from the deposit has been branded “Novy Port” and is considered of better quality than both Urals and Brent.