Kamchatka
Overview
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Resources of Kamchatka
Natural gas resources onshore Kamchatka are relatively low: in the late 1980s four gas condensate discoveries (Kshukskoye, Nizhne-Kvakchikskoye, Sredne-Kunzhinskoye and Severo-Kolpakovskoye) were announced there with around 16 billion cubic meters of C1 reserves.
Considerable gas resources are found offshore Western Kamchatka. In June 2009 pursuant to the decision by the Russian Federation Government, Gazprom was granted the subsurface license for the Zapadno-Kamchatsky offshore prospect in the Sea of Okhotsk. Between 2009 and 2011 the offshore reserves increment is projected to average 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
Drilling rig at Nizhne-Kvakchikskoye field
The launch of geological exploration at Kamchatka offers the opportunity of setting up another gas production center (in addition to the Sakhalin, Yakutsk, Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk centers defined in the Eastern Gas Program). New expected discoveries offshore the peninsula will create conditions for developing LNG production in Kamchatka to supply natural gas to Russia’s eastern regions and abroad.
Regional gas supply development
Nowadays Gazprom is facing a crucial socio-economic challenge of supplying natural gas to Kamchatka. In September 2007 pursuant to the Russian Federation Government decision, Gazprom set to the Gas Supply to the Kamchatka Oblast, Phase 1. Gas Supply to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky project.
Within the project Gazprom is pre-developing the Kshukskoye and Nizhne-Kvakchikskoye fields on the western coast of the peninsula as well as constructing the Sobolevo – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky gas trunkline from these fields. The 392-kilometer-long gas pipeline is to be commissioned in 2010. The project also stipulates the construction of gas distribution networks in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Sobolevo – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky gas pipeline route
By now, the gasification level of the Kamchatka Krai is below 1 per cent. Natural gas in the amount of 9 million cubic meters is delivered from the Kshukskoye field to the settlements of Sobolevo and Ustyevoye.
In 2009 the Kamchatka Krai was involved into Gazprom’s gasification program, which envisages construction of a gas lateral from the automated gas distribution station in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to CHPP-2.