Transneft to start work on third phase of Zapolyarye-Purpe pipeline in winter
MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) - Transneft plans to start work on the third phase of construction of the Zapolyarye-Purpe oil pipeline this winter, corporate journal Pipeline Transportation of Oil reported, citing the Russian oil pipeline monopoly's vice president, Alexei Sapsai.
He recalled that, according to a government order, the facilities of the Zapolyarye-Purpe trunk pipeline are supposed to be built and put into operation in three phases. "They will be completed in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. The project is currently in the active stage of implementation, work is being done on the construction of facilities for the first and second phases. In the winter, we plan to start work on the facilities of the third phase," Sapsai said.
He said that under the first phase of the project construction has been completed on 132 km of trunk pipeline with diameter of 1020 mm from the Purpe oil pumping station to the kilometer-358, hydraulic testing, profile logging and internal pipe diagnostics have been done on the linear part of the pipeline. In November there are plans to complete work on construction of a high-voltage line along the pipeline, and preparations are underway at linear section facilities for power supply and pre-commissioning work.
The second phase involves construction of 207 km of pipeline from kilometer-358 to pumping station No. 2, as well as expansion of the Purpe pumping station to increase the capacity of the tank farm by 80,000 cubic meters.
"The pace of construction on the linear part is quite good," with at least 900 meters of route road prepared per day on average and more than 700 meters of pipeline welded, "and this is not the limit," Sapsai said. The company is now outfitting additional comprehensive work flows, mobilizing human and technical resources, certifying welding equipment and technicians. They are scheduled to be deployed to the pipeline construction site in November-December, he said.
For the third phase, work has been completed on the design and estimate documentation, construction permits have been obtained and "we plan to begin construction and installation work in the 2013/2014 winter period," Sapsai said.
The Zapolyarye-Purpe oil pipeline is part of the Zapolyarye-Purpe-Samotlor pipeline system, which will move crude oil from major new fields in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district and northern Krasnoyarsk territory to oil refineries in Russia and for export, particularly to the Asia-Pacific region via the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline.
The Zapolyarye-Purpe pipeline links fields in Yamal with the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean pipeline (ESPO). Transneft plans to complete the building of the three-stretch pipeline by 2016. The first line of the project should be finished next year. The pipeline will run for 490 kilometers and be able to transport 45 million tonnes a year. The rough cost of the project has risen to 199 billion rubles.
Transneft has said that oil will be fed into the Zapolyarye-Purpe pipeline by TNK-BP , which was bought by Rosneft in March, Gazprom Neft , Gazprom , Lukoil and SeverEnergia.
