As part of the preparations for the Bovanenkovo field development on the Yamal Peninsula, Gazprom has completed the main construction stage of a crossing over the Yuribey River floodplain. The crossing will be part of the Obskaya – Bovanenkovo railroad.

On the whole, over three kilometers of the crossing (78 per cent of the total planned length) have been built since the construction launch. In particular, 88 bridge arms were constructed as well as 85 spans (34.2 m each) and 2 spans (110 m each) were installed.

As the bulk of the work could only be performed during the winter period, construction proceeded on a round-the-clock basis. As a result, the work was completed within 235 days, 2.5-3-fold faster than normally needed for the construction of similar facilities. Over 1,300 people were employed at the building site.

The crossing is unparalleled in the world’s bridge construction practice both in terms of design and the climatic and permafrost conditions of construction and operation. In particular, the crossing is being constructed without the traditional deposition of soil, which enables to preserve the river floodplain’s ecosystem.

20-40 m deep wells were drilled so as to secure the reliability of crossing arms under the permafrost conditions.

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The Obskaya – Bovanenkovo railroad has been already put into operation at separate sections. Construction of the linear part, bridges, distribution lines and communication facilities is in progress. From the Obskaya-Bovanenkovo line construction launch 267 km between the Obskaya station and the Khralov crossing point as well as 25 km from the Khralov crossing point towards the Yuribey crossing have been already laid, with 15 station sidings, 37 river crossings and 262 culverts constructed. The Obskaya-Bovanenkovo railroad thoroughfare is scheduled to be opened by late 2009.

The Bovanenkovo field is a prioritized development target on the Yamal. The commissioning of the first start-up complexes for the development of the Cenomanian-Aptian deposits of the field is slated for the third quarter of 2011. 115 bcmpa of projected gas production from Bovanenkovo is anticipated to increase to 140 bcmpa in the long-term.

In 2008 the work will continue on Bovanenkovo’s high-priority construction facilities including vital infrastructure, industrial bases, transportation and production facilities.