Baker Hughes stops servicing Russian LNG projects: press
US oil and gas services company Baker Hughes has stopped servicing all Russian LNG projects, jeopardising the commissioning of new plants and the continued operation of existing ones, Moscow-based business daily Kommersant reported on June 16.
Baker Hughes has withdrawn from the operational Sakhalin-2 and Yamal LNG projects, owned by Gazprom and Novatek respectively, according to Kommersant. It has also recalled project engineers from and shipments of equipment to Novatek's Arctic LNG-2 project, the newspaper said.
|
Advertisement: The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) NGC’s HSSE strategy is reflective and supportive of the organisational vision to become a leader in the global energy business. |
"This in effect puts into question the further operation and commissioning of foreign equipment, and also makes it impossible to supply spare parts for its repairs," Kommersant stated, citing sources at Russian contractors.
Baker Hughes announced on March 21 it was suspending future business in Russia, less than a month after Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine. Its rivals Halliburton and Schlumberger announced similar moves that month.
Novatek CEO Leonid Mikhelson has already conceded that the 19.8mn metric ton/year Arctic LNG-2 plant may not meet its 2023 launch target, due to sanctions and the departure of Western contractors, suppliers and financiers. TotalEnergies, which has a 10% stake in Arctic LNG-2, has booked a $4.1bn impairment charge to reflect the risk that the project may not be completed.