OREANDA-NEWS. On 02 April 2008 was announced, that construction and installation works have been completed on the oil pipeline linear part which connects the Verkhnechonsk’s oil and gas field with the ESPO trunk pipeline as reported by Mugammir Galiullin, General director for OJSC “Verkhnechonskneftegaz” (VCNG). The pipeline is planned to be put into operation in autumn 2008.

According to Mr. Galiullin at present the pipeline has been air blown, the welded joints under preparation. Pipe pressure tests that have to be performed only after the air temperature is set statically positive are planned in coming May. Project cost amounts to about 7 billion rubles. 90 kilometers long pipeline to be put in operation in September, 2008.

A field to the north of the Irkutsk region developed by “Verkhnechonskneftegaz” will be connected to the ESPO system near the oil transfer pump station No. 10. A linear part of the pipeline is equipped with power and communication lines. Moreover the project provides for construction of the control center, pumping station, boiler-house and other buildings.

Crude oil supplies from the Verkhnechonsk’s oil and gas field will be started before the completion of the Eastern pipeline construction. Nikolai Tokarev, President for “Transneft” has previously informed that coming autumn will see crude oil from the field transported westwards in a reverse mode via the completed ESPO part.

The annual output of oil at the field is expected to reach 326 thousand tons per year by the time the first phase of the Eastern pipeline will be put into operation in a reverse mode.

VCNG plans to recover up to 1,5 million tons of crude oil to fill in ESPO in 2009. In this case the maximal annual crude oil output in the volume of 9,49 million tons per year is planned to be achieved by 2017. Today Verkhnechonsk is being rapidly developed. VCNG actualizes at present the drilling program scheduled till the end of 2019 according to the conditions of the well supplementary exploration license agreement. 25 development wells have already been completed of 32 which have to be drilled by the time of the ESPO first phase launching. Reported by Eastern pipeline expert portal.