en.Wedoany.com Reported - Russia's Gazprom Neft signed an agreement with the Orenburg Region government at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to implement a lithium extraction pilot project at the Orenburg oil and gas condensate field.
The industrial water of oil and gas fields contains lithium, iodine, bromine, and other elements valuable to the glass, chemical, pharmaceutical, and metallurgical industries. Lithium is an important raw material for producing batteries and metallurgical alloys. Gazprom Neft stated that Russia currently does not extract this metal on a large scale and relies heavily on imports from abroad.
Globally, some modern technologies have enabled the extraction of lithium and other valuable components from associated water during oil and gas development, using them for further industrial processing.
The pilot project outlined in the new agreement is expected to commence operations in 2028. Gazprom Neft will be responsible for preparing engineering design documents, selecting technical solutions, and identifying land for the production complex. The Orenburg Region government will provide support for the project's implementation to expand the region's resource base and develop the strategic direction of extracting useful components from formation water.
Alexander Dyukov, head of Gazprom Neft, noted that for the oil and gas industry, such solutions have multiple effects, both improving the profitability of mature fields and helping companies enter new markets with highly sought-after products. He also stated that the project in the Orenburg Region is the company's pilot initiative, and in cooperation with local governments and the Ministry of Energy, the company plans to create new technological solutions that can be scaled to other assets.
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