Nidec Lands Arctic LNG 2 Contract

Italian engineering firm Nidec Group said April 12 it has signed a multi-million-euro contract with German Siemens Gas and Power for the supply of variable frequency drives systems and motors for the Arctic LNG 2 project.

The technical specifications of Nidec's motors mean they can work continuously even at temperatures down to -52°C, which is necessary for work in the Arctic Circle, it said.

The $25.5bn Arctic LNG 2 project involves the construction of three gravity-based structures (GBS) for liquefying natural gas, each with the capacity to produce about 6.6mn mt/yr. The liquefaction trains, installed on platforms in the waters of the Gulf of Ob, also include LNG storage facilities for a total of 687,000 m3, Nidec said.

The owner, Novatek, is yet to announce its final investment decision formally but finance director Mark Gyetvay said in February that the decision was as good as taken, and that concrete pouring for the GBS is due to start in July. Arctic LNG 2 follows Yamal LNG in Novatek's series of projects aimed at liquefying the gas in the Gydan and Yamal peninsulas for export to world markets.