Sakhalin Energy is still planning to build a third LNG train at Sakhalin-2, Andrei Okhotkin, Commercial Director said at the recent Sakhalin Oil & Gas Forum, reported Russian newswire, Interfax.
"The plans still stand. They were not closely tied in with the former partners, in fact. It's very simple: it's a question of resources. When we have additional gas that will enable us to look at long-term prospects for ensuring today's production, and additional resources, then we will of course move on to building the third train," he reportedly said.
Okhotkin also said that the project had passed the Russian Main State Expert Review Board (Glavgosexpertiza). "Clearly it will have to be repeated, in a new configuration, but we are absolutely focused on expanding production," he said.
He added that the LNG export plant would be expanded with Russian technology partners.
The LNG plant's third train design blueprints were ready in 2017. Alexander Singurov, Sakhalin Energy’s Deputy Production Director said in 2021 that the company had received approval, a construction permit and an evaluation from Glavgosexpertiza.
"The only question is about the feedstock gas for this train. All improvements and changes were made at the design stage," he said, according to Interfax.
Sakhalin-2 is tied to the development of the offshore Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye fields off the Sakhalin coast. The LNG export plant is located at Prigorodny, at the southern end of Sakhalin Island and started operations in February, 2009, reaching its full design capacity of 9.6 mill tonnes of LNG per year a year later.
A subsequent optimisation programme has boosted the plant's production by 20% to 11.5 mill tonnes per year.
The plant produced just over 10 mill tonnes of LNG in 2023, Interfax said.
