In Sevastopol the cold. And not only on the streets but in apartments. Unlike the previous two heating seasons, the townspeople complain of low coolant temperature. The reason is simple — the Crimea is not enough gas. Local authorities, in order not to excite the public, are silent.
That Peninsula does not have enough (read — mined in the Ukrainian offshore) gas has been known since the onset of the first frost. From the evening of 6 December, two Crimean CHP — Simferopol and Kamysh-Burun is switched to the backup fuel (fuel oil) on the recommendation of the state unitary enterprise “Chernomorneftegaz” (the gas company of the Crimea — approx. ed.). This need was explained by increased gas consumption due to cold weather “to avoid interruptions in gas supply to population and enterprises of the social sphere of emergency situations”. Consumption in CHP plants was reduced to 50%, and the lack of fuel filled in the fuel oil.
Controlled by the Kremlin, the Minister of fuel and energy of Crimea Svetlana Borodulina was previously estimated winter gas shortage in the Crimea, 200 million cubic meters. She explained that a drop in the level of production of “Chernomorneftegaz”. The problem is mainly related to the termination of drilling at Odessa offshore field following the “emergency evacuation” in December 2015 two pressed Ukraine of drilling rigs.
For reliable gas supply to the Peninsula need at least 2 billion cubic meters of blue fuel. “Chernomorneftegaz” plans to drill wells on the shelf of the Black sea in the square of Gordievich. In the summer, a competition was announced for the development of the working project for the construction of parametric wells in the northwestern part of the Black sea, the winner became joint-stock company “Volgogradnipineft”.
The Chairman of the Board SJSC “Chernomorneftegaz” Svetlana Nezhnova said: “to meet the needs of the Crimea and Sevastopol should be 2 billion cubic meters of gas. As of 9 November this year, production, according to our data, amounted to about 1,49 billion. It turns out that, with the pace of production to the end of the year will be 1.6 billion cubic meters. Fell prey to the Storm, and the Arkhangelsk deposits — there the pressure has dropped due to the fact that they are already exhausted. Accordingly, there is a shortage of gas,” said Ninova.
Thus, according Nezhnova, a deficit of 400 million cubic meters, or more than double said Borodulin. And, anyway, the fifth part of the demand.
Before the events of the “Russian spring” Crimea was the most promising gas producing regions of Ukraine almost achieved self-reliance. Engineering has allowed to increase production in 2014 by 25% to 2 billion cubic meters. But in 2015, it fell by 7.8% to 1,844 billion cubic meters of gas. Sue “Chernomorneftegaz” reported that for the first half of 2016 produced only 0.86 billion cubic meters of gas. Thus, the production decline is likely to continue. Partly remove the high risks reserves in Glebovsky UGS (up to 0.9 billion cubic meters of active gas).
In the spring of this year Crimeans faced a shortage of blue fuel. As a result of falling gas production, it was not enough to residents of certain areas of the Peninsula. According to the Chairman of the Committee of the Kremlin-controlled Parliament of the Crimea industrial policy, transport and fuel and energy complex Pyotr Zaporizha, the provision of natural gas has gone so far that the population of gasified villages in the steppe part of Crimea (in particular, in the Saksky area — approx. ed.) can’t use the gas networks is not enough pressure.
What will turn this winter that is forecast cold enough, hard to say, but now in Sevastopol, Sevastopol boilers and CHP work to a minimum, in fuel economy mode. Sevastopol complain of hardly warm batteries, but in the media this question, as if on cue from above, not rising. Decide whether the problem is the pipeline the Kuban, Crimea, the readiness of which have claimed the current Crimean government is not yet clear.
According to the relevant Russian publications, the main gas pipeline Kuban-Crimea is ready to supply gas to the Peninsula. In the 20’s of December 2016 on the site of MGP Dzhankoy-Feodosiya-Kerch will be made by 3 frames, and will be followed by test launches of gas. Connection of gas pipelines will be implemented on 3 sections with the help of cold welding, which allows not to stop the flow of gas to consumers. The capacity of IHL Kuban-Crimea will be 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas with the possibility of increasing to $ 4.4 billion “cubes”.
Experts have expressed fair concerns about the reliability of the IHL. According to the President of the Center for global studies “Strategy 21” Mikhail Gonchar, constructed the pipeline is short-lived, as the stations in the Kerch Strait are highly likely to occur accident.
How will this winter, think hard. And if something goes wrong — the Kremlin propagandists will be able to explain why it happened. And the perpetrators terrorists or designate.
