As part of a plan to reduce CO2 emissions, NOVATEK is upgrading one of eight Siemens SGT-800 gas turbines at the power plant supplying the Yamal LNG plant.
According to Kommersant, the modernization is aimed at partial use of hydrogen as fuel. As a result, the share of using hydrogen in fuel can grow up to 60% (now the machines can only run on natural gas). Sources do not disclose the cost and terms of work.
We are talking about the modernization of the combustion chamber: this unit is responsible for the combustion process of the fuel-air mixture, and it needs a deep modernization to operate on hydrogen. According to experts, the cost of upgrading one turbine to use up to 40% hydrogen is 4 to 7 million euros. There are seven turbines in operation at TPP Yamal LNG, and one is in reserve.
The modernization will allow NOVATEK to reduce the carbon footprint of LNG and gain experience in using hydrogen in energy supply for complex production in the Arctic, says Yuri Melnikov, senior analyst at the Skolkovo Energy Center of the Moscow School of Management.
However, the expert clarifies, it is unlikely that the project will begin before the successful completion of tests in Europe (Siemens is testing hydrogen on SGT-800 turbines at a plant in Finspong in Sweden), and, in addition, it will require the creation of a hydrogen infrastructure at Yamal LNG itself - hydrogen production and storage, as well as CO capture and storage 2 .
