Drone Strike Damages Novatek's Ust-Luga Gas Condensate Complex

A drone attack on August 14 has damaged the gas condensate processing complex operated by Russian gas producer Novatek at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, according to three industry sources. The full extent of the damage remains unclear, and Novatek has not yet responded to requests for comment.

The attack triggered a fire at the port, as confirmed by Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko on Telegram. Despite the incident, oil export operations at the Ust-Luga terminal, one of Russia's primary export hubs handling roughly 700,000 barrels of crude per day, were not affected, two of the sources said.

The Ust-Luga port infrastructure has been a repeated target of drone attacks. Novatek's complex at the site consists of three processing units, each with an annual capacity of 3 million metric tons. These units refine stable gas condensate into products such as light and heavy naphtha, jet fuel, ship fuel oil, and gasoil.

Company data indicates the complex processed 3.8 million tons of gas condensate in the first half of this year.