European companies are helping Russia implement a project for extracting and liquefying natural gas in the Arctic.
With the support of Western corporations, Russia continues to develop a new large-scale project for the extraction and liquefaction of natural gas in Siberia called Arctic LNG 2. This is stated in an investigation published on October 19 by the German publication Der Spiegel/ZDF and the French Le Monde.
German engineering company Linde is reportedly involved in the construction. Following EU sanctions related to Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the company announced the cessation of new projects in Russia. However, Linde fulfilled its Arctic LNG 2 contracts.
function news4630822() {
$.get(‘//’ + window.location.host + ‘/ajax/module.aspx?spm_id=444&id=4630822&lang=2&IsAjax=true’, function (data) { $(‘#nk4630822’).html(data); });
}
news4630822();
The company sent at least three shipments of equipment to Russia, including one that was registered by Russian customs on June 1, 2022, five days after the EU sanctions took effect.
It was noted that in 2022 the actual delivery could take place earlier, before the sanctions began.
The publication also draws attention to the fact that in 2018 (four years after the annexation of Crimea by Russia – ed.) Linde is committed to providing heat exchangers for this project.
Another company that has caught the attention of investigators is the French engineering company Technip.
Although Technip signed the contract to manage the international aspects of the project ahead of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2019, the company is in a rush to complete as much work as possible before EU sanctions take effect.
In general, the investigation showed that since February 2022, the equipment for Arctic LNG 2 was sent to companies from the UK, Italy and the USA.
Russian customs data show that since the invasion of Ukraine, the main trading company has received equipment from Europe worth $400 million.
By studying Russian customs data and satellite imagery, it was found that companies such as Linde and Technip worked hard to satisfy their Russian customers. Thanks to the help of Western engineering companies, despite the sanctions, Russia completed the first production line of the project exactly on schedule – in July 2023.
Now, if the other two parts of the project are completed, Arctic LNG 2 will produce 19 million tons of LNG per year and contribute to Russia’s goal of using the Northern Sea Route to export 100 million tons of LNG per year.
We remind you that earlier a scheme for avoiding the embargo on the import of coal from the Russian Federation was discovered in Poland. So, over the past year, despite the EU embargo, about 1.5 million tons of coal were brought to the country from Russian ports.
Source: korrespondent
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.