Vulcan Infrastructure Watch (IW) reported potential activity at the sanctioned Russian Arctic LNG 2 (ALNG2) facility. To verify these reports, an analyst and satellite imaging was assigned to conduct a detailed review.
Recent Vulcan satellite imagery from March 30, 2025, confirms production activity at the ALNG2 facility on the Gydan Peninsula, Russia. The imagery clearly shows flaring at the facility's main flare stack and Gravity-Based Structure 2 (GBS2). This is the first confirmed activity at ALNG2 since operations were reportedly halted in October 2024.
Flaring at LNG liquefaction facilities is a standard procedure for burning off excess natural gas, primarily methane, during processing and liquefaction. The satellite imagery also shows significant snow accumulation around the plant, indicating that traditional LNG carriers will be unable to access the facility for cargo loading until the summer thaw.
SynMax Leviaton previously tracked Russia's "dark fleet" activity and documented the chronology of Arctic LNG 2 (ALNG2). Despite eight confirmed cargo loadings, Novatek has struggled to secure buyers, resulting in ship-to-ship (STS) transfers with the Koryak FSU and Saam FSU, where the cargo remains stored.
The last cargo loaded from ALNG2 was by the Metagas Everest (formerly Everest Energy) on October 5, 2024. Following this loading, the Metagas Everest's Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal remained stationary near Murmansk until December 30, 2024, before sailing to its current position in Alexandria, Egypt.
The East Energy (formerly Asya Energy) departed Russia's Nakhodka region on January 30, 2025, bound for the Koryak Floating Storage Unit (FSU) in Kamchatsky Province. It is currently sailing near Ningbo Province, China.
SynMax Leviaton will continue to monitor and report developments at Arctic LNG 2 (ALNG2) through its LNG tracking platform. SynMax Vulcan Infrastructure Watch (IW) will continue to monitor existing infrastructure after significant events.