Gazprom breaths new life into Shtokman LNG

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MOSCOW, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Russian energy company Gazprom announced that engineering surveys are under way for development of LNG facilities at the Shtokman field in northern Russia.

Gazprom announced that engineering surveys for parts of the Shtokman project are in the final stage. Preparation for front-end engineering and design document should be released for a national review by next year, the company stated.

"As part of the onshore facilities design development, tender documents have been prepared in order to hold a bidding procedure in 2013 for designing a liquefied natural gas plant," a Gazprom statement read.

During the summer, partners to Shtokman -- Gazprom, Total and Statoil -- postponed investment decisions on the project in part because of market considerations brought on by shale natural gas developments in the United States.

Statoil in June said it was committed to the project, though campaigners with Greenpeace said the investment decision was a reflection of the risks associated with northern exploration.

The plant would produce around 30 million tons of LNG per year. The field has an estimated 134 trillion cubic feet of gas. Gazprom said some gas was designated for markets in the Atlantic basin, including the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany.