Zhidkoye zoloto? Environmental Aspects of Natural Gas Transportation from the Sakha Republic
View / Open Files
Authors
Seligman, Benjamin
Advisors
Whitaker, Ian
Date
1994Awarding Institution
University of Cambridge
Author Affiliation
Scott Polar Research Institute
Qualification
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Language
English
Type
Thesis
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Seligman, B. (1994). Zhidkoye zoloto? Environmental Aspects of Natural Gas Transportation from the Sakha Republic (Masters thesis). https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.79288
Abstract
The Sakha Republic, Russia’s largest administrative unit, could in ten years time be well on its way to becoming a major source of natural gas for a number of Pacific Rim nations, where demand for LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) is growing rapidly. Already, Japanese and South Korean consortia are engaged in pre-feasibility studies for a trans-continental gas pipeline linking the Sakha gas fields with the Korean peninsula and Honshu. This pipeline will be faced not only with political obstacles, such as those evident within Russia and on the Korean peninsula, but also a wide variety of constraints imposed by regional environmental peculiarities. These would create special problems for a long-distance gas pipeline. The environmental implications are far reaching. The West Siberian oil and gas region has suffered severe environmental damage caused by the undesirable interactions between pipelines and the surrounding environment. Pipeline construction activities have also contributed to the overall situation. In view of tlie climatic variability, variations in permafrost continuity and numerous mountain ranges in particular that characterize the Russian Far East, this thesis argues that a gas pipeline from the Sakha Republic should be laid eastwards rather than southwards, direct to markets. A pipeline transmitting gas to a liquefaction plant on the Sea of Okhotsk coast for onwards shipment by LNG tankers, would face fewer environmental constraints, would be relatively economical and would be favourable from the point of view of the republic's human geography. The reasons behind this contention are examined in detail. Also considered are current developments in environmental legislation for foreign investors in Russia's oil and gas sectors.
Keywords
Sakha Republic, Gas pipelines, Liquified Natural Gas supply
Identifiers
This record's DOI: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.79288
Statistics
Total file downloads (since January 2020). For more information on metrics see the
IRUS guide.
Recommended or similar items
The current recommendation prototype on the Apollo Repository will be turned off on 03 February 2023. Although the pilot has been fruitful for both parties, the service provider IKVA is focusing on horizon scanning products and so the recommender service can no longer be supported. We recognise the importance of recommender services in supporting research discovery and are evaluating offerings from other service providers. If you would like to offer feedback on this decision please contact us on: support@repository.cam.ac.uk