Russia's slow trains
Hit by sanctions and with big pipeline-export projects to digest, Russian LNG supply will grow more sedately than once planned
NOT LONG ago, Russia was destined to become one of the world’s biggest hitting liquefied natural gas exporters, with ambitions to add more than 50m tonnes a year (t/y) of capacity. The number may be reached, but almost certainly not in the next 10 years. Sanctions and a weakening market outlook have intervened. The one new project that could start operations in short order is Yamal LNG, a $27bn, 16.5m- t/y, three-train project on Russia’s northern coast. Russia’s Novatek (51%) and France’s Total (20%) are behind it. A further 20% is owned by China’s CNPC, with the rest held by a Chinese investment fund. Yamal wants to sell to China and the rest of Asia in one direction and Europe in the othe
Also in this section
14 April 2026
The GECF has warned it may revise its projections for demand this year downwards in light of conflict in the Middle East, although it maintains its forecasts for 2027 and onwards
13 April 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis highlights sharp shift from crude oversupply to market deficit, with Iraq and Kuwait badly affected and key producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE also seeing output sharply lower
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy
