It was pointed out at the Management Committee meeting that creation of technologies and equipment for synthetic liquid fuels (SLF) production was a priority in Gazprom’s innovation activities. It ensured the achievement of strategic goals relevant to commercial products diversification and added value increasing.

The Management Committee tasked the Company’s specialized subdivisions to complete the experimental researches aimed at SLF fabrication in the fourth quarter of 2010 and to prepare the proposals on the feasibility of bringing the received technological solutions into pilot production in the first quarter of 2011.

Background:

SLF derived from natural gas are a high-quality product complying with the prospective requirements of the domestic technological procedures and European standards by its operational and environmental qualities.

SLF production in Russia can rely on small-sized natural gas fields, fields at declining production stage when gas injection into the gas transportation system becomes economically unviable and associated gases.

In order to study the possibility of applying foreign practices in the domestic SLF industry formation, Gazprom carried out joint researches in cooperation with ConocoPhillips, Syntroleum and Shell as well as inspected pilot SLF production plants owned by Shell, Sasol, JFE and Toyo Eng.

With due regard of the joint activities with foreign companies and taking into account the specific conditions hindering application of large-scale foreign equipment in Russia, Gazprom launched its own developments of SLF technologies and equipment.

At present, the Company is working out SLF technology based on the Fisher-Tropsh synthesis with the use of in-house cobalt catalysts and is taking steps aimed at creating a single-stage production technology for high-octane gasoline on the basis of bifynctional catalysts.