Ust-Luga (Russian: Усть-Луга, Votic: Laugasuu, both meaning 'mouth of the Luga', Finnish: Laukaansuu, Ingrian: Laukaansuu) is a settlement and railway station in Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, near the Estonian border, situated on the Luga River near its entry into the Luga Bay of the Gulf of Finland, about 110 kilometres (68 mi) west of St. Petersburg.

Ust-Luga
Усть-Луга
Village
Ust Luga village, 2022
Ust Luga village, 2022
Flag of Ust-Luga
Ust-Luga is located in Leningrad Oblast
Ust-Luga
Ust-Luga
Ust-Luga is located in Russia
Ust-Luga
Ust-Luga
Coordinates: 59°39′37″N 28°16′37″E / 59.66028°N 28.27694°E / 59.66028; 28.27694
CountryRussia
RegionLeningrad Oblast
DistrictKingiseppsky District
Time zoneUTC+3:00

Port of Ust-Luga

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Ust-Luga is the site of an important coal and fertiliser terminal. Constructed at a cost of $2.1 billion, work started in 1997, in part to avoid having to ship dry cargo via the newly independent Baltic states,[1] and was accelerated at the urging of President Vladimir Putin, who inaugurated the new port facilities in 2001. The 3,700-metre approach channel is capable of accommodating ships with a capacity of 150,000 tonnes and more. In May 2008, Putin confirmed[2] that Ust-Luga would be the terminal of the projected Second Baltic Pipeline,[3] an oil transportation route bypassing Belarus.

The Ust-Luga container terminal was opened in December 2011, and is operated by the National Container Company.[4] The port adjoins the Ust-Luga Multimodal Complex, which allows for rapid freight handling on site. In 2018, the port handled 98.7 million tonnes of cargo.[5]

In October 2021, Gazprom and RusGazDobycha announced they would build a plant at Ust-Luga to process ethane-containing natural gas, and a large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) production plant, Baltic LNG, with a capacity of 13 million tonnes of LNG per year.[6][7] High-ethane gas from the Tambeyskoye gas field, and the Achimov and Valanginian deposits of the Nadym-Pur-Taz region, will supply the plant.[8][9]

The Ust-Luga oil terminal, operated by Novatek, was attacked by a Ukrainian aerial drone on the night of 21 January 2024, as a part of the hostilities resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, causing a fire that forced the suspension of some operations.[10]

Population

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As of 2005, the population of Ust-Luga did not exceed 2,000, but the port administration expected it to grow to 34,000 by 2025.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Linnart, Mart (29 January 2024). "Experts: Ust-Luga Port Attack Had Psychological Impact on Russia". ERR. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Vladimir Putin Opens a New Terminal". Archived from the original on Sep 5, 2008. Retrieved Oct 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Ust-Luga to Be Oil Pipeline System Route's Final Point". www.redorbit.com. Retrieved Oct 8, 2022.
  4. ^ "Ленобласть одарит инвесторов льготами". Kommersant. 18 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Throughput of Russian seaports in 2018 grew by 3.8% Y-o-Y to 816.5 million tonnes (detalization)". PortNews. 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  6. ^ "Gazprom aiming to expand liquefied natural gas production for foreign and domestic markets" (Press release). Gazprom. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  7. ^ Afanasiev, Vladimir (22 September 2021). "State lifeline: Russia promises 2 billion to Baltic LNG project". Upstream. Oslo. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Gazprom and RusGazDobycha create joint venture to develop Tambeyskoye field in Yamal". Gazprom. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Complex for processing ethane-containing gas and LNG production in Leningrad Region". Gazprom. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  10. ^ Soldatkin, Vladimir (22 January 2024). "What is Novatek's Ust-Luga fuel terminal and why was it attacked?". Reuters. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  11. ^ Балтийское информационное агентство. Население нового города Усть-Луга в 2025 году составит 34,5 тысяч человек Archived 2007-12-30 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
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