Yakutia LNG, a 17.7 million metric ton/year (mmty) liquefaction project proposed for the Russian republic of Yakutia, is planned to start up in 2027 to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia’s Far Eastern coast to China. 

If the Russian government gives permission for the Yakutia project to export LNG, it could help Russia towards reaching its ambitious LNG production target of 140 mmty by 2035, set by the government in 2021. It would also help buttress Russia’s growing role as a natural gas supplier to China, which has become the world’s leading LNG importer.

The relationship has expanded at a time when Europe’s dependency on Russian supplies has come under a microscope as war has broken out in Ukraine.

Russia’s annual LNG production capacity is...