NOVATEK OAO : Final investment decision made on Yamal LNG project

Contacts

Mark Gyetvay, CFO
Alexander Palivoda, Head of IR

[phone]
[e-mail]

Mikhail Lozovoy, Press-secretary

[phone]
[e-mail]

18 December 2013

Moscow, 18 December 2013. OAO NOVATEK ("NOVATEK" and/or the "Company") announced today that the Board of Directors of Yamal LNG approved a final investment decision ("FID") for the Yamal LNG project, consisting of the development of the South-Tambeyskoye gas condensate field and the construction of a natural gas liquefaction plant on the Yamal Peninsula (the "Project"). All of the relevant corporate approvals had been issued earlier by NOVATEK and Total, shareholders of Yamal LNG.

The Yamal LNG plant will consist of three (3) liquefaction trains with overall capacity of 16.5 million tons per annum. Start of commissioning works at the first liquefaction train is scheduled for 2016 with the planned commercial launch of the first LNG train in 2017. The Project also requires the construction of transport infrastructure including a sea-port facility and an international airport located at Sabetta (north-east of the Yamal Peninsula). Up to 16 ice-classLNG carriers of special ARC-7 design will be used to effect year-round transportation of LNG to international markets.

As part of the Project implementation, main tenders have been completed and key contracts have been signed. The EPC contract has been awarded to the joint venture of Technip and JGC. Overall capital expenditures of the Project are now estimated at $26.9 billion, of which $2.6 billion have already been financed by the shareholders.

As of today, the orders for long-lead items (including cryogenic heat exchangers, gas turbines, and the compressors for the liquefaction trains) have been placed; eight (8)production wells have been drilled, more than 3,100 construction workers are already on site. Preparation of the construction site for the LNG plant has been completed, the piling of the foundation for the LNG tanks has begun, the construction of the sea-port and airport has reached an advanced stage, and more than 70% of the expected LNG production output has already been contracted.

Chairman of the Management Board of NOVATEK, Leonid V. Mikhelson commented "The Yamal LNG project is a transformative project for NOVATEK and a key element in the overall strategy to develop the natural gas resources on the Yamal Peninsula and increase the output of LNG from Russia. In a relatively condensed period of time we have accomplished quite a lot of work with the project establishing a very good base to move forward with confidence to implement our plans".

Yves-Louis Darricarrère, President Upstream at Total stated "The successful sanction of Yamal LNG strengthens Total's global portfolio to sustain post-2017 production over the next decades and further increases our presence in a high potential region of Russia in terms of gas resources. Yamal LNG has made tremendous progress in recent months and Total will join forces with NOVATEK by harnessing all of its expertise and effort to deliver this top-tier LNG project within schedule".

Note

According to the PRMS reserve standards the proven and probable reserves of the South-Tambeyskoye field as of 31 December 2012 were appraised at 907 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

Yamal LNG is a joint venture currently owned by OAO NOVATEK (80%) and Total S.A. (20%). On 5 September 2013, NOVATEK and CNPC concluded an agreement on the purchase of a 20% equity share in Yamal LNG by CNPC. The transfer of title to the equity share is subject to receipt of necessary regulatory approvals. Following completion of the deal, the shareholder structure of Yamal LNG will be as follows: OAO NOVATEK (60%), Total S.A. (20%) and CNPC (20%).

OAO NOVATEK is Russia's largest independent gas producer and the second-largest natural gas producer in Russia. Founded in 1994, the Company is engaged in the exploration, production, processing and marketing of natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons. The Company's upstream activities are concentrated in the prolific Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Region, which is the world's largest natural gas producing area and accounts for approximately 90% of Russia's natural gas production and approximately 17% of the world's gas production. NOVATEK is an open joint stock company established under the laws of the Russian Federation. The Company's shares are listed in Russia on MICEX-RTS Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange (LSE) under the ticker symbol «NVTK».

Download press release
(PDF, 199 KB)

To news