Sakhalin, Russia’s island in the Pacific could use carbon capture technology in its LNG refinery – Russia’s first – in order to achieve its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2025
A general view of the liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, Russia. Credit: Vladimir Soldatkin for Reuters
Sakhalin, Russia’s Pacific island is in the process of finalizing a joint initiative with a prominent Japanese company on developing carbon capture technology. The regional governor, Valery Limarenko revealed the government’s plan to achieve carbon neutrality for the region by 2025 in an email to the media. The initiative will involve employing methods to produce liquefied natural gas in a sustainable manner by integrating the refinery with carbon capture and storage technology. Sakhalin operates Russia’s first liquefied natural gas plant.
In addition to carbon capture technology, the Russian government has also outlined a host of programs to ensure that the region produces liquefied natural gas sustainably. Starting 2023, businesses generating more than 50,000 tonnes of carbon emissions will be required to comply with carbon quotas. Two years later, carbon quotas will also be applicable on businesses emitting more than 20,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year. Sakhalin’s regional governor, Valery Limarenko stated in his email, “We’d like to … use the money (from the carbon quotas) to reduce emissions, spend it on research and development, adaptation to climate change.”
The Russian government has stated that Sakhalin is set to generate 28% of its energy using renewable sources by 2025. Towards this end, wind, solar, geothermal and small-sized hydro-electric power stations, mainly on the Kuril Islands have been set up over the past few years. In the near future, the government also plans to introduce 10,000 e-vehicles and 1,000 charging points across the island. It also plans to transition domestic heating boilers to those powered by natural gas and LNG ones, all in an effort to achieve its carbon neutrality target in the next 4 years. If successful, Sakhalin will be the first Russian island in Pacific to be carbon-neutral.
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