OREANDA-NEWS. December 10, 2008. A consortium comprising Stroytransgaz (consortium leader) and the Russian-Greek joint enterprise Prometheus Gas S.A. signed a contract today with Greek state company DESFA S.A., operator of the nation’s gas transportation system. The 53.4-million-euro contract provides for construction of the Nea Messambria compressor station along the Kulata-Athens gas pipeline in the area of Saloniki, Greece.

First Vice-President of Stroytransgaz Evgeny Zagorodny, Executive Director of Prometheus Gas Dmitrios Kopeluzos, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of DESFA S.A. Nikolaos Mavromatis signed the contract on behalf of their respective companies. Signing ceremonies were held at the Ministry of Development of Greece in Athens. Khristos Folias, Greece’s Minister of Development, and Andrei Vdovin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Hellenic Republic were present during the ceremonies.

The contract was concluded on EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) terms. In addition to engineering, procurement, and construction, Stroytransgaz will be responsible for assembling equipment, piping connections, electricity, instrumentation and automated control systems, cathodic protection, operational systems, and precommissioning. Work to realize the contract is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2009 and be completed in 26 months.

Construction of the Nea Messambria compressor station has a long history: it was envisioned in the December 1994 agreement between the governments of the Russian Federation and the Hellenic Republic.