Russia’s quest for energy ‘technological sovereignty’, part 2

The country faces big challenges as it seeks to replace Western suppliers when it comes to LNG carriers, while sanctions have all-but halted its petrochemicals expansion

Russia has been locked out of Western oil and gas technologies since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, it has been seeking substitutes and has a programme to become more self-reliant. In the midstream, Russia produces all the components used to build pipelines, oil and gas treatment facilities, compressor units and cryogenic heat exchangers itself. The biggest challenge, as Petroleum Economist has reported in depth, is in the LNG sector. While Russia’s import substitution programme has achieved some important feats, including the development of domestic liquefaction technology, building LNG carriers “is a big headache for the country”, said Matthew Hale, senior vice-pre