Key gas plant processing nearly 60% of Russia’s gas engulfed in flames near Orenburg The plants are located more than 1,200 km from the front line. A fire has been reported on the premises of the facilities. The extent of the damage is being assessed. The OHP receives purified sulfur-free gas and, through deep cooling, extracts its most valuable components—helium (an inert gas used in liquid-fuel rocket engines and guidance systems) and ethane (which is a key raw material for the synthesis of specialty plastics, cable insulation for aviation, and key plasticizers for solid rocket propellants and gunpowder). The Orenburg Gas Processing Plant is one of the world’s largest gas chemical complexes, commissioned in 1974 (built with foreign participation). The facility has a capacity of 45 billion cubic meters of gas per year; the plant accounts for 60% of all gas processed by Gazprom Processing.
