Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 29 / Trend E. Kosolapova/
The main pipeline of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium was stopped at 72 hours for the work to connect the re-commissioned equipment to the system and replace the valves from October 23-25, the consortium said on Monday.
'This is the third and final planned stop of the oil pipeline this year', the statement said. 'Its main purpose is to prepare for the completion of the first phase of expanding and increasing the volume pumped via Tengiz-Novorossiysk oil pipeline'.
The biggest volume of work on the content and duration was conducted at the Atyrau pumping station in the Republic of Kazakhstan. A large diameter ball valve was replaced. Operations followed to connect the industrial and additional pipelines.
A ball valve was replaced at the Astrakhan oil-pumping station. The main operation was completed to bring the gas pipeline to the main pumping station to provide turbines with gas. Additional work was conducted on the previously assembled main motor unit. The defects revealed during the planned diagnostics were also removed in the linear part.
Action was taken to connect the additional and industrial pipelines on to a filter strainer, retaining and enabling the main pumping stations and piping to extend to the tank farm as part of the project of expanding Russian suppliers' oil volumes at Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station. Two ball valves were replaced. The defects were removed.
"The planned breaks of the main oil pipeline Tengiz-Novorossiysk and actions undertaken to connect additional equipment have significantly upgraded the pipeline system of the consortium and prepare it to increase the volume of pumped oil in the future."
The CPC pipeline system is one of the largest investment projects with foreign capital in the CIS. The length of the pipeline connecting the oil fields in Western Kazakhstan with the Marine Terminal in Novorossiysk is 1511 km.
The CPC Project was originally developed with a view to a potential expansion of its capacity by 2.5 times up to 67 million tons per year (76 million tons per year with DRA).
The Expansion Project includes the rehabilitation of five existing and construction of 10 additional pump stations (two in the Republic of Kazakhstan and eight in the Russian Federation), six crude oil storage tanks near Novorossiysk and a SPM at the CPC Marine Terminal and also the replacement of a 88km pipeline section in Kazakhstan with a larger diameter pipe. The total amount of the project investments will be $5.4 billion.
CPC Shareholders are: The Russian Federation (represented by Transneft - 24 per cent and CPC Company - seven per cent) - 31 per cent; Kazakhstan (represented by Kazmunaigaz - 19 per cent and Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures LLC - 1.75 per cent) - 20.75 per cent; Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium Company - 15 per cent, LUKARCO B.V. - 12.5 per cent, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company - 7.5 per cent, Rosneft-Shell Caspian Ventures Limited - 7.5 per cent, BG Overseas Holding Limited - two per cent, Eni International N.A. N.V. - two per cent and Oryx Caspian Pipeline LLC - 1.75 per cent.