OREANDA-NEWS. April 20, 2012. Construction of the looping system (total length – nearly 700 kilometers) is in full swing. To date, 626 kilometers (more than 90 per cent) have been welded up, 515 kilometers (around 75 per cent) of those have been trenched and buried. Gas compressor capacities are being expanded at the Portovaya, Gryazovetskaya, Babayevskaya, Pikalevskaya, Volkhovskaya, Elizavetinskaya, Sheksninskaya compressor stations (CS).

The said capacities are required, inter alia, for gas supply to the Nord Stream second string to be commissioned in 2012. In September the second string will be filled with buffer gas, in October commercial gas supplies will be launched.

“The Gryazovets – Vyborg gas pipeline is needed to help implementing Nord Stream, a major project of Gazprom as well as to secure the supply of additional gas volumes to consumers in northwestern Russia. Currently, all gas pipeline operations are being done according to deadlines,” said Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee in Saint Petersburg today when summing up the results of a two-day visit to the gas transmission facilities under construction in northwestern Russia.

During the trip Vitaly Markelov also visited construction facilities of the Ukhta – Torzhok gas trunkline system (GTS) and the SRTO – Torzhok gas trunkline.

Construction of the Ukhta – Torzhok linear part is nearing completion at the Ukhta – Gryazovets section. Construction and installation work is going on at seven linear compressor stations of the Ukhta – Torzhok GTS: the Novonyuksenitskaya, Sosnogorskaya, Novourdomskaya, Novomikunskaya, Novoprivodinskaya, Novoyubileynaya and Novosindorskaya CS to be commissioned between 2012 and 2013 in a phased manner.

The Sindorskaya, Urdomskaya and Nyuksenitskaya CS are currently under construction; they will be among 13 compressor stations integrated into the SRTO – Torzhok gas trunkline. Besides, gas compressor equipment as well as separation, cooling and treatment units are being installed. These CS will be brought onstream in 2012.

Ukhta – Torzhok and SRTO – Torzhok will be engaged in gas transmission from the Bovanenkovo field and supply, inter alia, to Nord Stream.
Background

In order to secure the conveyance of gas from Yamal, a unique, unparalleled in Russia, new-generation gas transmission system is planned to be created before 2030. Gas from Yamal will be transported via the Yamal – Ukhta section and further along the following direction: Ukhta – Gryazovets, Gryazovets – Vyborg, Gryazovets – Torzhok, Pochinki – Gryazovets. The overall distance of Yamal gas transmission by the new pipelines will be in excess of 2,500 kilometers.

The length of the Ukhta – Torzhok GTS will exceed 1,300 kilometers, annual capacity – 90 billion cubic meters, operating pressure – 100 Ata.

The Northern Tyumen Regions (SRTO) – Torzhok gas trunkline is 2,200 kilometers long, its annual design capacity varies between 20.5 and 28.5 billion cubic meters at different sections. To date, 10 out of 13 compressor stations are operational at the gas trunkline.

Nord Stream is receiving gas from the Gryazovets – Vyborg gas pipeline. Its length is more than 900 kilometers and design capacity – 55 billion cubic meters of gas. The gas pipeline is being commissioned in a phased manner starting from 2011. By now, the linear part of the gas pipeline (more than 900 kilometers) has been built; construction of the looping system (total length – around 700 kilometers) and compressor stations is underway.