Gazprom expects to begin natural gas production at the Sakhalin-3 project in 2028, said Sakhalin region governor Valery Limarenko. This will mark a significant step in Russia’s strategy to boost energy exports to China and strengthen domestic gas supply for the Far East.
Valery Limarenko told delegates at the Sakhalin Oil and Gas Forum that the first gas from the Yuzhno-Kirinskoye field is slated for 2027–2028. Once the project reaches full capacity, output is projected at 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas annually.
Sakhalin-3 encompasses the development of two major offshore fields — Kirinskoye and Yuzhno-Kirinskoye — located east of Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. Together, the fields hold an estimated 710 bcm of recoverable natural gas reserves and about 3.7 million tonnes of crude oil.
“The development of the Kirinskoye and Yuzhno-Kirinskoye fields is a key element of energy security in the Far East,” said Gazprom board member Sergey Menshikov. The company anticipates annual production of 5.5 bcm from the Kirinskoye field, while Yuzhno-Kirinskoye is expected to reach a design capacity of 21 bcm per year.
Gas from Sakhalin-3 will underpin the Sakhalin–Khabarovsk–Vladivostok pipeline system, a vital link for domestic supply and export flows to Asia.
Development of Yuzhno-Kirinskoye has been complicated by the U.S. energy sanctions imposed in 2015. Gazprom is deploying domestically developed subsea production modules supplied by Almaz-Antei and other Russian manufacturers to circumvent restrictions and maintain project momentum.
The ramp-up of Sakhalin-3 is viewed as a strategic boost for the region, where output from the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 projects has been in decline in recent years.
The Eurasian Links 