OREANDA-NEWS. The Gazprom Headquarters has hosted a Pipe Manufacturers Association session chaired by Valery Golubev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Head of the Association.

The session was attended by top management of the leading Russian pipe manufacturers and trading houses including TMK, Trade House TMK, United Metallurgical Company, Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant Group and Izhora Pipe Plant.

During January-December 2006 Gazprom received 920,000 tons of pipe products, of which 76 per cent was supplied by Russian manufacturers.

V. Golubev emphasized that Gazprom was interested in acquiring pipes with improved operational characteristics, primarily for Yamal-Europe and Nord Stream lines. Pipes for these gas pipelines must be designed for a pressure of up to 120 and 250 ata, respectively.

The Pipe Manufacturers Association will continue further coordinating the efforts of Russian pipe fabricators and research institutions to produce high quality and competitive products for Gazprom’s needs.