OREANDA-NEWS. July 5, 2011. The solemn ceremony dedicated to the commencement of construction works on the Project to expand the CPC pipeline capacity was held in the compound of the “Atyrau” oil pump station.

The event was attended by Minister of Oil and Gas of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sauat Mynbayev, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Sergey Shmatko, Managing Director for the Oil Transport of the “NC KazMunayGaz” JSC Nurtas Shmanov, Chairman of the Board of the “Transneft” JSC Nikolay Tokarev, representatives of shareholders and employees of the CPC as well as heads of contracting companies.

Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation S. Mynbayev and S. Shmatko gave a start to the welding of the first pipe joint as part of the construction works under the Project to expand CPC pipeline capacity.

- CPC Project is crucial to all participants of the great and multi-faceted work that has been done throughout all stages of the Project – from negotiations and design to construction and commissioning of the pipeline. “CPC is one of the bright examples of successful implementation of the wide scale pipeline projects”, Managing Director for the Oil Transport of the “NC KazMunayGaz” JSC Nurtas Shmanov emphasized.

The Project to expand the CPC envisions the expansion of the mechanical throughput of the main pipeline from 28 million tons per annum to 67 million tons per annum to export increasing volumes of Kazakhstan’s and Russian oil to international markets.

The Project will be implemented within three stages and will be completed in 2015. Construction on the Kazakhstan’s territory includes modernization of two operating stations and construction of two oil pump stations, replacement of 88 km of pipeline and activities related to external energy supplies, etc.

During the event, at the solemn occasion medical institutions of the Atyrau oblast have received keys to three ambulance cars.