Construction of Gazprom’s Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP) is in full swing and is currently at 70.5%, the global energy company said on Thursday (17th Dec).
Once completed, the Amur GPP will be one of the largest gas processing facilities in the world, serving an essential link in the process chain of natural gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline.
Located near the town of Svobodny, Amur Region, it will house the world’s largest helium production facility, producing up to 60 million cubic metres per year.
The plant will have six production lines, with the first two lines slated for commissioning in 2021. The remaining lines will be consecutively put in operation before the end of 2024. The GPP is expected to reach its design capacity by 2025.
In addition to natural gas and helium, the GPP will produce ethane, propane, butane, and pentane-hexane fraction.
Giving an update on the project, Gazprom yesterday said start-up and commissioning operations continue at the first two production trains and external thermal insulation is being installed on the core equipment. This is the final stage of preparations for load testing.
Gazprom said both trains will become operational in 2021.
At the third and fourth trains, installation of the core process equipment – the dehydration, purification and cooling units for feed gas; the separation columns for ethane, methane, and nitrogen; and the compressor equipment – is now completed.
At the fifth and sixth trains, the first pieces of large equipment – the propane and butane separation columns, as well as the units in which gas will undergo dehydration and purification before being fed into separation units – are already in place.
Metal structures are being welded, and pipelines and cables are being laid.
During the 2020 navigation season, 50 pieces of large equipment weighing a total of some 8,000 tons were delivered by sea and river vessels to the Amur GPP’s wharf.
The GPP will receive heat and electricity from the Svobodny TPP. The construction of the TPP’s main building and structures is already finished.
In December 2020, the Power of Siberia gas pipeline started feeding gas to the TPP for the purpose of start-up and commissioning of the gas-using equipment.
The central link in the export system for commercial helium – one of the valuable components that will be extracted at the Amur GPP – will be the Logistics Centre for servicing thermally-insulated containers.
The centre, which is being set up near the city of Vladivostok, will be the world’s largest hub for delivering liquid helium to the global market.
The project is 73.2% complete. At present, construction of the hub’s off-site facilities is finished, the core and auxiliary process equipment is installed, and electricity is now being supplied to the Logistics Centre.
A natural gas liquefaction unit is currently being built with the aim of refuelling trucks that will carry the containers.
