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Construction of Sabetta port to start this summer

A computer image shows how Novatek believes the future port of Sabetta will look. (Ill.: Novatek)

Construction of Sabetta port, a key component in the huge Yamal LNG project, is planned to start in July-August 2013.

Location

The Sabetta port will become one of the biggest in the Russian Arctic. Located in the Yamal Peninsula, it will boost shipping in the icy waters of the Ob Bay and the Northern Sea Route.

According to the project’s main engineer Maksim Minin from LenNIImorproekt, the project has been delivered to the contractor and is ready to be reviewed by a state expert panel, Sever Press reports.

The new port, a joint initiative of the Novatek company and Russian federal authorities, will be a key component in the development of the gas-rich Yamal Penisula. Linked with the South Tambey field and a major projected LNG plant, the port will be built to handle more than 30 million tons of goods per year.

Sabetta port is planned to be operational all-year-round, despite the highly complex ice conditions of the Ob Bay.

The total investments in the Sabetta port project amount to 75 billion RUB (€1,82 billion). The Russian government is investing 49 billion RUB (€1,19 billion) while private investments amount to 25 billion RUB (€607 million).

Earlier this month it was announced that a consortium of the French company Technip and the Japanese JGC won the tender to build the LNG plant.

The Yamal LNG project is developed by the JSC Yamal LNG, a joint venture of Novatek (80%) and Total (20%), and in close cooperation with the Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport and the Rosmorport state enterprise.