Canada’s Condor Energies advances Kazakh LNG project
Canadian energy transition company Condor Energies said January 22 it had received a natural gas allocation from the government for its planned 350 tonnes/day modular LNG facility in Kazakhstan.
LNG produced at the facility will be enough to displace diesel used in up to 125 rail locomotives or 215 large mine haul trucks. CO2 emission reductions associated with using LNG to displace diesel equates to removing more than 31,000 cars from the road each year.
Condor also said it had acquired 12 hectares of industrial land where the first modular facility will be constructed. Front-end engineering and design is complete and detailed engineering will begin soon, Condor said, while discussions are underway with potential end-users to confirm volume commitments.
Condor is also reviewing project funding alternatives before proceeding with construction.
“We are very happy and appreciative to receive this gas allocation that advances our vision of producing Kazakhstan’s first LNG,” Condor CEO Don Streu said. “This is a significant milestone as Kazakhstan has been experiencing natural gas shortages, which was impacting our ability to secure a long-term LNG feedstock gas supply contract.”
Condor’s LNG project, Streu said, supports the government’s strategy to materially expand the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), which links a major Asian trade route with Europe.
“Our LNG can be used as a domestically produced low carbon fuel as a substitute for diesel to address the increased usage of rail locomotives and transport trucks between China and the Caspian Sea, and the marine vessels used to cross the Caspian Sea,” Streu said. “Given the geo-political situations in Russia and the Middle East, the TITR is even more vital to expedite timely trade and transportation between Asia and Europe. Condor is working closely with Kazakhstan’s national railway and marine companies to implement an LNG solution in 2025.”
Condor plans to build out its modular LNG strategy in three main phases, eventually reaching production capability of up to 600,000 tonnes/year of LNG at multiple strategic locations. This would displace 670,000 tonnes/year of diesel fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 250,000 tonnes/year, supporting the government’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.