OREANDA-NEWS. Volzhsky Pipe Plant, TMK subsidiary, hosted a meeting of Gazprom and Russia’s largest pipe manufacturers, dedicated to scientific and technical cooperation and import substitution.

Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller chaired the meeting, with Gazprom and its subsidiaries top managers, heads of Russian pipe companies TMK, United Metallurgical Company (OMK), Severstal, Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant, the Pipe Producers Association, as well as representatives of research and development organizations attending.

Current cooperation between domestic pipe manufacturing companies and Gazprom as well as future needs for innovative pipe products for gas production and transportation was discussed with pipe companies’ representatives reporting.

The attendees paid special attention to the issues of innovative products accelerating development, including those for import substitution, closer cooperation between Gazprom and pipe companies in the field of engineering, complex deliveries, service, technical regulation and standardization. After the meeting a cooperation agreement between the Technical Committees for Standardization "Steel and Cast Iron Pipes and Cylinders" (TC 357) and "Oil and Gas Industry" (TC 23) was signed, which develop national standards and amendments to them in different fields of activity. The document is aimed at harmonizing the technical standards in pipe and gas industries.

"Gazprom is the most important consumer of TMK products. We have an established practice of long-term agreements for both large-diameter pipes for the largest trunk pipeline projects, and seamless pipes for oil and gas production supply. During the years of cooperation, TMK, upon request of Gazprom, developed dozens of innovative pipe products types, many of which had never been produced in Russia. With our extensive R&D facilities and great production capacities, we are ready to cooperate with Gazprom on further development, introduction and production of high-tech pipes for the most complex projects. Pipe products supply for the future Chayandinskoye and Kovyktinskoye fields development will be the next challenge," said Dmitriy Pumpyanskiy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TMK.