ASSESSMENT OF THE PROSPECTS OF LNG PRODUCTION IN THE IRKUTSK REGION AND ITS EXPORT TO MONGOLIA

The article considers current issues related to the formation of a regional cluster for the production of liquefied natural gas. It is noted that the Irkutsk region has significant reserves of natural gas not involved in existing gas transportation projects, which can fully cover both domestic needs and the needs of its closest neighbors, for example, Mongolia. The formation of a network of small-tonnage LNG plants based on the fields of the Angara-Lena oil and gas region, located in close proximity to major transport arteries of the region, will allow saturating potential consumers of the Baikal region. This primarily concerns Mongolia, which has been struggling with environmental problems associated with the excessive use of coal-fired power generation, coal-fired boiler houses and private use of coal by households for the past decades. Given the difficult situation in which the electric power industry of Mongolia is, a gradual transition to natural gas will help to dull the severity of the energy problem and restore the ecological balance. The article provides a rationale for the need to deploy LNG supplies to Mongolia and identifies approaches to solving this issue by using the resources of gas production centers in the Irkutsk region.