RUSSIA'S Novatek has ordered Chinese yards to restart work on modules destined for the 20 million tonnes per annum Arctic LNG 2 project in West Siberia, after an eight-month hiatus in activities related to European sanctions on Russia. The yards have also been asked to substitute European equipment with a Chinese equivalent in order to sidestep European Union sanctions imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Work for Trains 2 and 3 of the Arctic LNG 2 project, in Murmansk, resumed after Paris-based Gygaz - a joint venture between Technip Energies and Saipem - assigned its remaining contractual rights and obligations to Gydan LNG SNC, a new Dubai-based consortium with Russian project management company Nipigas as apparently the only member. Sources suggested France's Technip Energies and Italy's Saipem have divested their stakes in Gydan, potentially ending direct European involvement in the $21 billion project, but Upstream could not confirm this. The contract with Gygaz preceded the invasion of Ukraine and the Technip Energies-led joint venture subsequently awarded several Chinese yards contracts covering engineering, procurement and construction work for multiple modules.
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