Yamal LNG Shutting 2 Trains for Maintenance

JSC Yamal LNG outlined this week that there will be consecutive shutdowns of the second and third LNG trains at the Yamal LNG project in the near-term due to scheduled maintenance works.

The shutdowns are set to take place for 12 days each from May 21 to June 15, according to the company. JSC Yamal LNG said it plans to modernize the absorbers at the mercury removal units, as well as implement a “number of upgrades” aimed at improving the efficiency of the LNG trains, in addition to regular maintenance works.

Regular maintenance will not affect planned LNG production volume for the year, JSC Yamal LNG confirmed. The scheduled maintenance of the first liquefaction train was postponed by one year from August 2020 to August 2021 “due to the successful implementation of a Risk Based Inspection maintenance system” at the project, the company highlighted.

The Yamal LNG project is operated by JSC Yamal LNG, which is a joint venture of Novatek (50.1 percent), Total (20 percent), CNPC (20 percent), and Silk Road Fund (9.9 percent). The project is based on the Yamal Peninsula, above the Arctic Circle, and utilizes the resources of the South Tambey Field.

The project’s first LNG train began production in the fourth quarter of 2017. Trains 2 and 3 began output in July 2018 and November 2018, respectively. Back in February this year, JSC Yamal LNG revealed that the project had shipped its 30 millionth ton of LNG since its commencement.

Yamal LNG produced 18.4 million tons of LNG in 2019, exceeding the plant's design capacity by 11 percent or 1.9 million tons, JSC Yamal LNG shows on its website. Yamal LNG shipped its 20 millionth ton of LNG back in August last year and its 10 millionth ton in February 2019, according to the company’s website.

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