Transneft studying project for oil product transport to Ust-Luga from Russia, Belarus
MOSCOW. Nov 26 (Interfax) - Transneft is considering the construction of an oil product pipeline with an end point at the port of Ust-Luga, Transneft Vice President Sergei Andronov said.
"We discussed this issue with our colleagues, in principle there is such a prospect [for building an oil product pipeline]. There is part of the volumes of Russian oil refineries located in the European part of Russia, which cannot reach the North pipeline [currently pumping goes to the ports of the Baltic region]," he said.
He said an additional resource base for the new pipeline may be the petroleum products produced at Belarusian refineries.
"But in any case, the decision may be made with a stable resource base, which is one of the foundations for any project," Andronov said.
"For now this is only an idea," he said.
This concerns diesel fuel. The total length of the pipeline extension from Belarusian oil refineries may amount to up to 800 kilometers, annual pumping is up to 5 million tonnes.
"This is not an extension from the North project, but a separate project," he said.
He said that the idea was discussed by Transneft, interested companies and the port of Ust-Luga.
"The interest of the port of Ust-Luga is understandable, because it was mainly built for the handling of fuel oil, and with an increase in the depth of refining, fuel oil will disappear [it is expected to reduce its supplies]. Now there is full capacity utilization, but our colleagues are looking at the future," the vice president said.
Along the North oil product pipeline - Vtorovo-Yaroslavl-Kirishi-Primorsk - the transportation of Euro-5 diesel fuel for export to Europe and the United States is carried out. In 2015 Transneft is planning to transship 14.2 million tonnes of diesel fuel through the port of Primorsk along the North system, in 2018 it will increase pumping to 16 million tonnes, in 2019-2020 - to 25 million tonnes.